Yule
by Wizards-Pupil
Summary: "Hermione, would you do me a huge favor?" I asked, talking before I even thought it through, you'll see I do that quite a lot. I took a breath and put every bit of my Gryffindor courage into my next statement. "Would you go to the Yule ball with me?"
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I still don't own it, and is that really a surprise? This is fanfiction for a reason... Also, thanks to .1998 for betaing this for me :)**

"Hey, Granger!" I called, hopping off the last step of the seventh staircase. Hermione stopped her trek in front of me and frowned in my direction, her brow wrinkling as she eyed me distrustfully.

"What do you want?" My, she was not in a good mood tonight. I assumed an affronted look and put my hand to my chest in mock hurt. It wasn't very original, but hey, I did only have a second to think of something.

"I'm really hurt, Granger. A gent would think you didn't want to see me." Her frown lines lessened a wee bit, which is what I had been going for.

"Sorry, I'm used to assuming the defensive with you and Fred." She said, continuing her walk down the hall. I followed her, keeping up with her pace easily. I may not have been as tall as Ron, but I still had a few inches on Hermione.

"Well, don't worry. I'm not going to prank you or anything." I grinned at her in my most charming way, which usually had most birds swooning. She just nodded her head, no longer frowning.

"Good, I'd hate to have to hex you." She said in her bossy tone.

"I'd like to see you try, Granger." Her eyes flashed and a grin lifted her lips for half a second before she masked it.

"I saw that!" I exclaimed, stopping and pointing at her like a nutter. She blushed, turning away from me and glancing down the hall to make sure that no one was watching us. We were alone in the room but I didn't really care one way or another. "You smiled!"

"I did not!" She snapped, but another grin quirked her lips up for half a second. I lowered my hand and stepped towards her, trying not to laugh as her eyes grew wide.

"You should do it more often. You have a nice smile."

"I-what?" She spluttered, looking shocked and thrown off. Had no one ever told her she had a nice smile?

"Your smile, it's nice. Your teeth have shrunk, it fits your face better now." I explained. Her eyes widened even more and she took a small step back from me. I took a big step towards her, closing in on her personal space. She was fun to mess with, she flushed so easily and always played into it.

"You noticed my smile changed?" She asked with wide eyes, craning her neck to look up at me.

"Yeah, your front teeth shrunk." I said with a shrug. "It happened about two weeks after school started." Her eyes widened even more and she nodded her head.

"You noticed." Her voice had turned to a breathy whisper, I've never heard her sound like that.

"Why do you sound so surprised?" I asked, genuinely curious, she sounded like she couldn't believe it.

"No one else noticed it." she said simply, seeming to come back to herself. She blinked her eyes twice and then stepped away from me, resuming her walking. I fell back in step with her.

"That can't be right." I said with a smile. Surely Harry had observed this change in his best friend's smile. There wasn't a chance that Ron had noticed though, he was far too dense. Harry didn't have much chance either, but he was more observant.

"They didn't." She said in a dismissive manner. I could tell that she was trying to end the subject so I decided not to push it.

"So, anyone invite you to the ball yet?" I asked casually. Her eyes narrowed and she shot a quick glare at me. That must have been a bad question. "I haven't asked anyone yet." I said quickly , trying to mend myself.

"No, not yet." She said honestly. I was rather surprised, she wasn't bad looking at all. Her smile was pleasant. She'd grown into herself over the summer, she'd become a woman. She wasn't a tall athletic beauty, but she had a simple, pretty face, the type that made little boys think there might be reasons to talk to girls after all. I couldn't tell much about her figure though, she kept it covered in her voluminous robes and baggy uniform.

"So, are you going to the common room?" She asked after a moment.

"Yeah." I said. I really was, there wasn't really anything else to do. All the students were either in class right now or study hall so we couldn't prank anyone. Besides, I was enjoying chatting with Hermione.

Not that I'd admit it.

-o-O-o-

About an hour later Fred and I went up to the trio. We were going to try and send another owl to Bagman, though I was thinking it was a lost cause. I could hear Hermione's voice growing shrill and I had to fight a grin.

"But it might take weeks to work it out!" She said. "You're going to look a git if everyone else knows what the next task is and you don't!" They must have been talking about the second task. Hadn't Harry figured out what he was supposed to do yet? I had to agree with her on this front, he needed to find out what he was going to do. Plus, the sooner he did it the more time he'd have to goof off.

"Leave him alone, Hermione, he's earned a bit of a break," Ron said, as he placed the last two cards on top of the castle and the whole lot blew up, singeing his eyebrows. I laughed as we slid into the empty chairs at their table.

"Nice look, Ron ... Go well with your dress robes, that will." Fred said in a knowing voice.

"Ron, can we borrow Pigwidgeon?" I asked politically. I hated not having an owl. It was a pain always looking for one to borrow.

"No, he's off delivering a letter," Ron answered before narrowing his eyes. "Why?" It was also a pain because the only brother I had that had an owl was asking always questions.

"Because George wants to invite him to the ball," Fred said sarcastically. Hermione's lips lifted up in a faint grin and I caught myself wondering if she was remembering our earlier conversation. I wonder if she had gotten an invite yet… the thought almost made me frown. I needed to find a date, and soon. The ball was in two weeks. I might end up taking Hedgwig otherwise.

"Because we want to send a letter, you stupid prat," I said, returning my attention to Ron.

"Who d'you two keep writing to, eh?" Ron asked suspiciously. I frowned and Fred leaned forward.

"Nose out, Ron, or I'll burn that for you too," he said, waving his wand threateningly. Ron's eyes widened almost comically, and he leaned away from Fred.

"So . . . you lot got dates for the ball yet?" He asked after a second, lightening the mood.

"Nope," Ron answered glumly.

"Well, you'd better hurry up, mate, or all the good ones will be gone," Fred said.

"Who're you going with, then?" Ron asked sharply.

"Angelina," Fred said promptly. My eyebrows raised in slight surprise. I hadn't thought he'd had a chance to invite her yet. He'd been crushing on her for a while, but he hadn't had the balls to actually ask her.

"What?" Ron asked, clearly taken aback. "You've already asked her?"

"Good point," Fred said with a grin. He turned his head and looked towards the fireplace where Angie was. He took a breath and then yelled across the common room: "Oi! Angelina!"

Angelina lifted her head from where she had been chatting with Alicia and turned towards us with an upraised eyebrow. "What?" She called across the room. Fred grinned disarmingly at her, pulling on our Weasley charm. He needed more of it, being the less attractive twin and all.

"Want to go to the ball with me?" Her eyes grew wide but she masked her surprise quickly. She gave him and appraising look, and I could see Alicia trying not to laugh behind her.

"All right, then." She said, turning back to Alicia with a small smile. Fred turned back to us with a big grin.

"There you go." He said easily, "Piece of cake." He pushed his chair back and got to his feet, stretching and letting out a yawn. "We'd better use a school owl then, George, come on." I stood up with him, winked at the others and followed him towards the door. We left the common room and started down the corridor. We had made it to the staircase when I heard someone call my name. Fred and I turned at the same time, and I, to my utter horror, saw Katie Bell running towards us.

That probably doesn't sound like such a bad thing to you, but trust me, this was not good. Katie had developed an unhealthy obsession with me (though she couldn't tell the difference between Fred and I) ever since our third year. A Slytherin girl, I don't remember who, was picking on her and I hexed the twit. She's followed me around, trying to get me to fall for her ever since. I made the mistake of going out on a date with her in my fifth year, and now she's tried to hold on even tighter. The date had been awful, and I'd lost all interest in her. She, however, had fallen for my Weasley twin charm and had been trying to get me even harder, if that could be possible.

Not only had the witch succeeded in freaking me out with her persistent advances, but she'd also freaked Fred out, because, as I mentioned before, she couldn't tell the difference between us. The girl simply did not understand the meaning of 'hell no.'

"Oh bullocks." Fred muttered, I completely agreed with his sentiments. (In case the above paragraphs didn't quite convey that feeling to you.)

"George!" She exclaimed, reaching us. Fred and I both tensed up, I couldn't even make myself smile. The girl was past creepy. I'd have rather taken a detention with Snape than be left in a room alone with her, and that's saying something because I don't particularly like Snape.

"Yes?" I asked quietly, trying not to cringe as she stepped up next to me. "George?" She asked again.

"Yes?" We both said together. I don't think I've ever been more grateful for having a twin. Katie frowned and looked back and forth between the two of us.

"Are you going to ask me to the ball?"

"No." We said together again.

"I've gotten other offers." She insisted, as if that was supposed to change our mind. Why would I care if she got other offers?

"Good." Together again. Maybe she would accept and fall in love with them. Maybe she would stop stalking us.

Maybe the Easter bunny and Santa were real too.

"Are you going to the Owlery?"

Fred shot me a quick glance and nodded his head. "I am, he's going back to the common room."

"Yes." I said, hoping to Merlin, Godric, God, and anyone else who was listening, that she followed Fred. He'd tell her who he was after a few feet, giving me enough time to get out and hide.

"Okay." She said with a smile. I turned and headed back to the common room. Katie didn't follow me, trailing Fred, instead. I felt guilty that she was stalking him, but not guilty enough to tell her who I was.

I walked faster when I heard her laugh, almost breaking into a run.

I reached the portrait hole and before I could give it the password it swung open, nearly hitting me. Hermione stormed out of the room and ran right into me.

"Woah!" I yelped, helping steady her as she stumbled backwards.

"George!" She exclaimed. I had a witty retort on the tip of my tongue but it died there the moment I got a clear look at her. Her face was pink and her eyes were red, she looked like she had been crying.

"What happened?" I asked, pulling her away from the portrait hole.

"No-nothing." She sniffed. I shook my head, I wasn't taking that answer.

"George?" Katie's voice came from the other end of the hall, she was heading towards us!

* * *

><p><em>AN: Okay, this is my new story, it's George/ Hermione, obviously, completley from George's view. It should be fun, and is during fourth year. Leave a review to let me know what you think. I'm really looking forward to this story (: The poll results are in, Fainting fancies won by a landslide! A new poll is up, you know the drill, go vote on it!_

_Don't forget to review_


	2. Chapter 2

**Mischief. Mangaged .1998 for betaing this for me :)**

I gripped Hermione's arm tighter and pulled her down the opposite end of the hall, away from Katie. I don't know why I decided to take her with me, but that was really the moment that changed it all.

"George?" She questioned as I ran for a passageway that was at the end of the seventh floor corridor. "Where are you taking me?"

"Away, that was Katie!" I said, we had reached the seventh floor passage. I slipped her behind the knight statue into the secret hall and followed her in. The passage didn't lead anywhere, it was a dead end, but it was a great place to hide out. I pushed the knight statue back in place and backed up.

"What was that about?" Hermione asked behind me.

"Katie Bell, she keeps following me." I told her. I turned towards her and found myself pressing into her slightly. She hadn't scooted further into the passage yet. My breath hitched when I felt her soft body pressed into mine and I had to suppress the urge to lower my eyes and look at the objects that were pressing into my chest.

When had those grown in?

Her eyes widened at how near I was too her and she took a step back. "Do you not like her?" She asked, blushing a little as she looked at me.

"No." I answered quickly.

"Did you tell her that?"

"Repeatedly." I said with clear annoyance. I had lost count of just how many times I had told her I was extremely not interested. And ways. You'd be shocked at just how many ways you can phrase 'Hell no.'

"Oh…" She said quietly. She still looked upset.

"What happened after we left?" I asked, leaning against the wall. She sighed and leaned against the opposite wall, dropping her eyes and crossing her chest.

"You're not going to leave it, are you?" she asked in a resigned manner.

"Nope." I said with a smile.

"Ron happened."

"What 'd the git do?" She sniffed and looked annoyed.

"He insulted Eloise, saying that boys only wanted to take pretty women with centered noses. " I snorted at that, grinning when she glared at me.

"He has a point, Hermione." I then promptly realized I was a complete git. She hadn't been asked yet, in her mind, that comment made her not pretty.

That was why she had looked like she was crying. My stupid brother had made her feel like she was ugly. He'd made her feel that way and reminded her of the fact that she hadn't gotten a date yet. She looked so sad standing there that I found myself wanting to give her a hug.

In a brotherly way of course.

And if you believe that, I have a crème I'd like you to try…

"And following that line of logic, would you do me a huge favor?" I asked, talking before I even thought it through, you'll see I do that quite a lot. She nodded her head, looking surprised. I took a breath and put every bit of my Gryffindor courage into my next statement. "Would you go to the ball with me?" I wasn't scared to take, her, I was scared she'd hex me for asking.

"What?" She asked, her mouth dropping open in surprise.

"I really need a really pretty witch to go out with me. I'm hoping that it might discourage Katie's stalking. Plus, you're funny and fun." She bit her lip and lowered her eyes, thinking my suggestion through. Adrenaline started to rush through my body as she kept looking down at the ground. If she said no I wasn't really sure what I'd do. I don't mean about Katie either, there might not be any going back from this moment. It had the potential to ruin our friendship with awkwardness.

She raised her head from the ground and looked at me with her big chocolate eyes. She stopped biting her lips and opened her mouth, saying one word. "Okay."

A grin lifted my lips as well as I looked down at her. "Awesome.

-o-O-o-

I entered the common room with a sigh. It had been a long day and I was dead tired. All I wanted to do was curl by the fire in one of the big red chairs and fall asleep. Fred and Lee wouldn't be back for at least another hour, probably two if they spent more than a few minutes at Hogsmeade. That left me with more than enough time for a quick, much needed, nap.

The last week had passed by painfully fast. I'd been hanging out with Hermione more than usual, and it had actually been fun. Not only was she brilliant, but she also had a quick and sharp wit. She'd had me in tears from laughing so hard twice already. I think it was because it always caught me off guard. She just didn't seem like the type to joke when you first met her.

Guess you really can't judge a book (worm) by her cover.

The chairs were both taken so I slipped onto the couch, snuggling into its corner seat and closing my eyes as I leaned my head back. I let out a satisfied sigh and just sat there, enjoying the comfort of the chair. I felt my self start to drift off to dream land when I felt a small, light, hand on my shoulder. I pried open one tire eye and looked up to see who was disturbing me.

"Mind if I sit with you?" Hermione asked, smiling at me nervously. I shook my head and pulled my legs towards myself so that she could have a seat. She smiled gratefully and plunked her self down next to me and sat with her legs curled underneath her. She had shed her robe and was just wearing the sweater and skirt that made up our uniform. She opened a thick dome on something with charms, and started reading, shoving a quill behind her ear as she flipped through the pages. I watched her for a moment, a grin lifting my lips as she got the peaceful look that always overtook her when she was reading something she liked. I pretended to close my eyes, leaving them barely cracked so that I could look at her without her knowing. I let my eyes drift down her body until I was sneaking a peak at her legs through my half lidded eyes. She really was quite shapely, it was stunning that she had managed to hide it for so long.

I was not 'checking out' Hermione Granger. All right, I was, but she didn't know it so it was okay.

"Do I want to know where Fred and Lee are?" She asked after a moment, glancing over at me with a half smile. "Are people going to start changing into canaries again?" I grinned at her question and shook my head, opening my eyes fully as I placed my arms behind my head.

"Nah, they're just doing a little bit of last minute Christmas shopping."

She raised an eyebrow and gave me a look that let me know she wasn't buying it. Before she had a chance to voice those opinions though I heard a ruckus from the portrait hole. We both looked over the back of the couch to see what it was, and I almost laughed as I saw a pale Ron being led in by a laughing Ginny. I'd have to ask her what happened later.

Harry followed them in less than a minute later.

"What's up, Ron?" He asked, joining them in the corner that Ron had retreated to.

Ron looked up at Harry with a sort of blind horror in his face. It must have been bad, whatever it was he had done. "Why did I do it?" he gasped. "I don't know what made me do it!

"What?" Harry asked, bypassing Ron and asking Ginny.

"He - er - just asked Fleur Delacour to go to the ball with him," Ginny said. My mouth dropped open in shock and I had to bite back a laugh. I bet she had been horrified by his advance.

"You what?" Harry gasped.

"I don't know what made me do it!" Ron gasped again. "What was I playing at? There were people - all around - I've gone mad - everyone watching! I was just walking past her in the entrance hall - she was standing there talking to Diggory - and it sort of came over me - and I asked her!"

Ron moaned and put his face in his hands. He kept talking but I couldn't understand what he was saying anymore because his hands muffled the words. Hermione shot me a glance, shaking her head as she stood up from the couch. She dropped her book next to me and sighed.

"I better make sure the nuts okay."

"Isn't it a little late for that?" I asked with a sincere face, causing a light bubble of laughter to leave her mouth. She promptly clamped her hand over her mouth and blushed, looking ashamed of herself.

"Seriously, George." She said reprovingly, but her grin gave her away and belittled her disapproving affect. "He might be really upset." I looked over at them from across the room and noticed that Ron was laughing now-though Ginny was glaring at him. Not that that was anything new, Ginny was always glaring at Ron.

"Okay, fill me in on the details when you get back." I said with a wicked grin.

"I will, if they're any good." She said after a moment, smiling. She walked around the couch and stepped towards the small group. I watched her go feeling a little odd. I didn't really want her to leave for some reason. I reached into my pocket and grabbed out a little bit of flesh colored string and stuck it in my ear. I could hear what they were saying clearly now.

"Why weren't you two at dinner?" she said, making her way over to them. Harry and Ron were cracking up.

"Because - oh shut up laughing, you two - because they've both just been turned down by girls they asked to the ball!" Ginny said, trying not to laugh.

That shut Harry and Ron up. "Thanks a bunch, Ginny." Ron said sourly.

"All the good-looking ones taken, Ron?" Hermione asked in a lofty tone. "Eloise Midgen starting to look quite pretty now, is she? Well, I'm sure you'll find someone somewhere who'll have you." I looked over the back of the couch and shot her a grin, giving her a thumbs up. He'd had that one coming to him. She gave me a big grin, her eyes sparkling for a moment. She masked it before Ron looked at her again though

Ron didn't answer, he was giving Hermione an odd look instead. I didn't recognize it, but it didn't look good. My alarms were starting to go off that Ron was about to do something stupid.

"Hermione, Neville's right - you are a girl. . . ." He couldn't be serious, could he? Was he about do what I thought he was going to do?

"Oh well spotted," she said in an acidic tone. Ron didn't take the hint and kept going on.

"Well - you can come with one of us!" He exclaimed. I gripped the ear more tightly in my hand and sat up fully. I looked at her from the top of the couch and frowned as I saw Ron scooting closer to her.

"No, I can't," She snapped, taking a step back from him.

"Oh come on," he said impatiently, completely ignoring her dismissal. I was growing more annoyed by the minute and I wasn't sure why. "We need partners, we're going to look really stupid if we haven't got any, everyone else has . . ."

"I can't come with you," she said, she was furiously blushing now, "because I'm already going with someone." My sense of annoyance dropped drastically and I found myself smiling again.

"No, you're not!" Ron said stupidly. "You just said that to get rid of Neville!"

Wait, Neville had asked her out? Since when had she started attracting guys?

Not that I cared, Hermione could have tons of guys looking at her for all I cared.

"Oh did I?" She said in a deadly voice, one I recognized from when she had first caught us testing on first years. "Just because it's taken you three years to notice, Ron, doesn't mean no one else has spotted I'm a girl!" She spat out the words to Ron, her eyes filled with rage and her stance tall. She was a small witch, but she looked extremely scary now. You could feel the power and magic coursing through her. She was a powerful witch, and not to be trifled with.

She gave him one last disgusted look and then spun around, walking towards me.

Gulp.


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks to Mischief. Mangaged .1998 for betaing this for me :)**

Ron stared at her retreating back in surprise, and then, like an idiot, he grinned again and stood up. Every brotherly cell in my body was screaming for him to just shut up and apologize.

"Okay, okay, we know you're a girl," he called out in a condescending tone . "That do? Will you come now?"

"I've already told you!" Hermione said, spinning around angrily, her eyes flashing and her hair starting to look like it was crackling. "I'm going with someone else!" She turned on her heel and continued towards me. I dropped the ear and stood up, dusting my robes as I tried not to look like I had just been eavesdropping on them.

"Come on!" She snapped, glaring at the others over her shoulder. I nodded my head, following her as she led us out the portrait hole and headed towards the library.

"Mind my asking where we're going?" I asked with an attempt at a smile. She was clearly livid, and I wasn't sure if she knew I had heard the conversation. I was annoyed at my brother too, he just hurt her feelings because he was to chicken to ask a girl out. Why couldn't he think before he talked? Surely he would have realized how he made it sound. I don't think any girl-not even Eloise-would have said yes to him. Not that I could understand how any bird would want to go out with him, the guy had a terminal case of foot-in-the-mouth syndrome.

"The library." She snapped at me again. My eyes widened and I felt myself growing scared.

Yes, I'm man enough to admit it. Five foot four Hermione Jean Granger scares me. Have you seen her when she's angry, with her wand? She would scare you as well.

"Oh, I'm sorry, George." She said after a moment, halting in her path and turning towards me. "I didn't mean to snap at you. Ron just made me so angry! Do you mind going to the library with me?" Her brown eyes were glassy with unshed tears and she was biting her lip nervously, afraid I would reject the idea of the library. I grinned disarmingly and shook my head.

"Nah, I don't mind going at all."

Now, before I continue, let me clarify one fact so you can appreciate just how great that 'I dont mind..' was . I hate the library. No, I don't hate it, I despise the it, I can't stand it. I hate the mildewey smell of the books, the extreme quiet of everything. The order of the place kills me, I thrive on chaos and unpredictability. Plus, Ms. Pince is creepy. So, the fact that I told Hermione Granger I would willingly go to the library with her was a huge step. I should have realized what that meant, but hey, I'm a guy, and a Weasley one at that.

In other words, we tend to be a little slow in picking things up. However, in my defense, I'm a lot quicker than Ron, Percy, Fred, and even Charlie.

She smiled, her eyes lighting up and the tears seeming to just fade away. The girl really, really, liked the library. "Thank you."

She started walking again, and I walked beside her, shouldering my bag so it was more comfortable. "Mind my asking why we're going to the library?" She flashed a grin at me over her shoulder, her bushy curls bouncing at the action.

"I have an idea for a gift for Harry, but I need a little bit more information on some spells for it. You can help me with that, or I can show you the restricted pranking spell section."

That made me stop. There was a section in the library of restricted pranking books? I had to see that with my own eyes, talk about awesomeness! That was probably the only thing that would make me willingly go to the library.

Other than a teary Hermione Granger, apparently.

"Catch your attention there, did I?" She asked, giving me a small smile. I grinned back at her, stepping past her at a faster pace.

"Come on, what are you waiting for?" I asked eagerly. She laughed and sped up, keeping up with me.

"I never thought I'd see any Weasley race for a library."

"Just gotta give us the right inspiration." I said, looking her up and down and then giving her and exaggerated wink. She blushed and gave her head a slight jerk so that her hair fell in front of her face, blocking it from my view. We walked the remaining few feet to the library in silence, not an awkward silence though.

Hermione led the way into the library, which was quite empty. There was hardly a Ravenclaw in sight. (Do any other houses really hang out at the library? It's only the smarties that get a kick out of it.) She nodded at Ms. Pince, giving her a friendly wave and continued towards the back of the library. Ms. Pince glared at me when I walked by and I gave her a big wink. Her eyes narrowed and her glasses slipped down her nose, making her look like the stereotype for substitute teachers. I grinned even wider at her and passed by her desk, my eyes back on Hermione, who was a few feet in front of me. My eyes dropped down from her bushy hair to the bottom of her skirt, which was swaying against her legs.

Where had she gotten legs like that? And why, for the love of Merlin, did she insist on hiding them under those baggy robes?

Godric's ghost, why was I even looking? My eyes lifted back up to her bushy hair as she turned a corner and then they dropped again, unable to resist the wonderful view in front of them.

Any warm blooded male would have been looking, I told myself.

I was probably one of the only ones who'd actually had the chance to look though, and for some reason I rather liked that idea.

Hermione stopped walking and placed her book on the only table in the aisle. We were at the very back of the library, in a section I had never been at. The table was dusty and the shelves looked like no one had removed a book from them in this century.

"Come here often?" I asked, plopping my bag down and sitting in the chair across from her.

She flashed me a smile, showing off her now perfect teeth, and nodded her head. "Yes, this is my special spot. I've never seen anyone else around. And some of the oldest books in Hogwarts are over here." I nodded my head, feigning interest. I don't think some of these books had been moved since the library opened.

"Thanks for coming with me." She said, her smile dropping some. "I didn't want to go alone." She said it quietly, her voice almost timid. That was triggering all sort of alarms in my head, most of which were protective.

"Why? Something happen?" If something did happen that made Hermione scared to go to the library-her favorite place in the world-alone, then it had to be bad.

She gave a half nod shrug thing that I took to mean yes. "Sort of…"

Well, there was no way I was just leaving it at that. "You can tell me, Hermione."

"It's Krum." She said simply, dropping her eyes from mine. I tensed up, feeling protective and angry. Had he hurt her? Scared her? If he'd done either then he would find himself the victim of our next prank product. I'd make sure it was a dangerous one too. Nobody was going to hurt Hermione on my watch.

I'd already planned on doing something to Ron. He'd nearly made her cry twice now.

I was this protective of all my friends. I was apparently part Hufflepuff. Okay, so it was a little much for my little brother's best friend. Still, I did want to help protect her. Not that she needed it, she could have easily bested me in a duel, but she did seem to be crying more, recently.

"What'd he do?" I asked, trying to be tactful. I didn't want to shut her back down.

"He's been following me any time I've been in the library, and he watches me whenever we're in the Great Hall." That was making my stomach tighten in an angry emotion that I couldn't identify. It wasn't jealousy, definitely not. I was just taking her to the ball as a friend, it wasn't like I was interested in her. Though she did have a nice figure and a quick wit...

"Three days ago, after Charms, he came up to me while I was studying and asked if I wanted to go to the Yule Ball with him." My gut tightened even more and I found myself frowning. Viktor Krum had asked Hermione Granger to the Yule Ball. I was going to have to find another date… Great, Katie'd be even worse if she found out I was free again. Merlin, just take me now, please.

I was trying not to think about Hermione dancing with Krum, that thought wasn't making me feel too well. Not that I'd have admitted it.

"I told him no." she said. My mouth almost dropped open in shock but I managed to keep a blank face. Had she really said no to him? He was an international Quidditch star! And that I had a date with someone else, and I didn't want to break it. He got mad and punched a hole in the library wall. I ran away, and I haven't seen him since."

"You could have told him yes, you know, if you wanted to."

"I didn't want to, I told you that I'd go with you. Plus, after that hole in the wall, I'm not sure I want to be anywhere near him." I didn't like the idea of her being anywhere near him either. If he'd punched a hole just for going with someone else, then I would hate to have seen him if she'd been with someone else. He'd have lost it, and that could be scary. He might have had nothing but saw dust between his ears, but he made up for it with a lot of brawn.

"Well, I can assure you I won't let you go to the library alone. Show me where the prank section is and I'm sure I can get Fred and Lee to join in on keeping you company." She blushed and fidgeted with the cover of her book.

"You don't have to protect me." She said quietly.

"We won't be, I know you can whip us all in a duel, but he's got a lot of friends, and fans. There's nothing wrong with safety in numbers. It's usually advisable. Have you told Harry or Ron?"

Her eyes narrowed at the mention of Ron. "I haven't told Harry yet, and I'm not going to be talking to Ron for a while."

"I'm all for ignoring Ron, he's a git, but do tell Harry. He can watch your back while we're in class."

"I'll do that… Thanks."

I smiled at her, leaning back in my chair. "No problem, that's just how I am. Helpful."

"Yes, one of your better qualities."

"Yeah, that and my dashing good looks." I said, giving her another wink. She blushed, something she did extremely easily and spluttered.

"Wha-yo-Hardly." She gripped her book again and tried to read it. Her face was still red, and she was trying to avoid my gaze.

"Merlin's beard!" someone exclaimed behind me. "It's true, you are in the library!" A grin lifted my lips at the sound of the voice and I pushed myself away from the table, turning towards him.

"Hey, Fred, Lee." I said nodding to both of them. Hermione repeated the greeting, her cheeks still a faint pink. Fred and Lee pulled two chairs out from the table and sat down next to us.

"What's up?" Fred asked, leaning back in his chair with a grin.

"I'm studying." I said with a wink. Lee grinned at that, his dark face lighting up. Hermione smiled as well, looking at me for a long moment. It was odd how keenly aware I was of her gaze.

"He offered to keep me company in the library." She said in her soft voice.

"Yeah, I've got some things to tell you guys…"


	4. Chapter 4

Ugh! I hate the last day of classes before holiday! The professor's all get a kind of sadistic pleasure out of handing out as much homework as they possibly can. I have four papers to write, three potions to make, and a meter of arithmacy parchment to solve. I'll probably only do three of them during the vacation and I'll do the rest the night before we come back.

What can I say? Procrastinators unite-Tomorrow!

So, back to the story, where was I? Oh, yeah, last day of class. My last class was potions, and by the time I got out of it I was ready to crash in the common room and ignore my new pile of homework. Fred was feeling pretty much the same, but Angelina wanted to go for a skate out on the black lake. Fred, being completely smitten, said yes, of course. Lee was helping Alicia write her charm paper, which really meant that they were making out in a broom cupboard somewhere.

So, I was going to be ignoring my homework all by lonesome, or at least I thought I was. Funny how often my plans do not pan out the way I wanted them to.

I went to the Common Room alone, but in good spirits. It was officially the start of the holidays. I was out earlier than most of the other years, thanks to the fact that I was a sixth year with only three classes, and I only had two today. The common room was nearly empty, because of the above mentioned facts and I got to take my favorite seat by the fire. I grabbed out a deck of exploding snap, and began to play the solitaire version.

I played for a few moments, but I got bored. I'm a social person, I don't like playing by myself, what can I say? I have six siblings and an identical twin, I have almost never been alone. I can count the times I've been myself on my fingers, and I don't actually need all of them. I was about to get up and go search for people, anybody, when I heard the portrait door swing open.

I looked up eagerly, hoping it was Fred or Lee, but I would have taken most anyone but Katie at the moment. I craned my neck around to look at the portrait hole and I saw a familiar head of bushy hair walk into the room.

"Hi, Hermione!" I called, waving her over. She smiled and made her way over to me, dropping her heavy bag on the couch and reclining against its soft cushions before reaching into her bag and grabbing out a book and length of parchment. I shook my head and went back to my game, more than happy to ignore my own pile of homework .

"You're out early." I said after a moment. She nodded her head, shoving her quill behind her ear absentmindedly as she flipped through her book.

"Yes, my Arithmancy decided to let out early to celebrate Christmas… I decided I could use the time to get a head start on my homework."

"You're celebrating Christmas by doing homework?" I asked in disbelief. She nodded her head, frowning slightly.

"What else would I do? Play cards?" She asked, eyeing my exploding snap house.

"We are not playing cards." I said, pushing the deck away and then leaning back as they exploded. I managed to escape getting singed if you were worried.

"We're not?" She asked, staring at me warily. I grinned mischievously, which didn't help her relax any, and leaned towards her. Her eyes widened and she leaned back. "What are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking we are going to have fun." I said. I hopped off the couch and grabbed her hand, which was surprisingly soft, not that I typically notice that kind of thing (it was warm too, but why bore you with details?)

She came without much complaint, looking as though she couldn't decide whether to laugh at me or roll her eyes. I led her out of the common room and down the empty hall ways, headed for one place I knew she wouldn't expect. I knew Harry had been down here, but I doubt she ever had, but that would change after today.

We were busting out of this joint.

"Were are you taking me?" She asked once we finally reached the corridor that the passageway was in. I grinned at her and shook my head.

"Nope, I'm not telling. Don't worry though, regardless of what you may think, it's nothing illegal or against the rules."

"Against the rules?" She asked immediately. I stopped in front of the witches statues and told her the password. She opened up and I pulled Hermione forward.

"It's not against them, don't worry. I promise you will have a grand time, and there will be plenty of time for homework afterwards too." She relaxed a little at that, actually following me now so I didn't have to keep dragging her. I dropped her hand, and kept walking. Hermione stalled for a moment but kept walking as well. I was taking her to Hogsmeade, we were going to party, just the two of us. All my friends had left with their girls, and Harry and Ron were still in divination, which would be another three hours, so we had plenty of time to get there and back again.

"Does this tunnel actually end?" She asked after about five minutes of walking. I smiled and turned my head towards her.

"Yes, we only have a little further to go." I looked ahead again and thought for a moment. "You don't mind coming with me, do you?" It hadn't occurred to me that she might not want to. Like I said earlier, I tend to act without speaking. If she didn't want to hang out then I was more than happy to turn back and just hang out in the common room. I just wanted some company, I didn't care where.

"No, just so long as it's not against the rules. I've already got some of my homework done, so I'm actually ahead of schedule." I had to repress a laugh at that. She probably did have a schedule made for her holiday homework. She was probably the only one who was even thinking about her homework. Even the Ravenclaws were goofing off.

We made it to the end of the tunnel a few moments later, and a look of faint recognition was dawning on her face.

"Are we?" She asked, staring at the ladder and trapdoor. I nodded my head, stepping up to the ladder and climbing onto the first rung.

"We most definitely are." Then, before she had a chance to object and start spouting the rules again (and she could do that for _hours_!) I climbed up and pushed the trapdoor to Honeydukes open. I climbed the rest of the way out and looked around the storeroom with an eager smile.

I scooted out and waited for Hermione to climb out. She did a moment later. I grabbed her hand when she reached the top and helped pull her out. She came up quickly, and dusted herself off as she looked around the room. boxes were piled everywhere and the shelves were lined with candy prototypes. It was an incredible place, like a little slice of heaven. When Fred and I opened our own joke shop, I wanted the backroom to be like this, fun and mysterious.

I walked forward towards the door that led to the shop, checking over my shoulder to make sure that Hermione was following me. She was, with a bit of a grin on her face.

I held the door open and let her pass in front of me. She bowed her head respectfully, and said in a mock formal voice, "Why thank you, my good sir." I smiled and followed her through.

"You are most welcome, my dear lady." She grinned fully at that, stepping into the shop and looking around with a bit of wonder. She always looked like that when she was in Hogsmeade or Diagon Alley, almost like a small part of herself still couldn't quite believe that magic was so real. I'd seen the look on Harry's face too, countless times. I never gave magic a second thought, I was born with it and in to it, it was just part of my world, part of me. Watching them helped me appreciate it more as well.

I know, I can be deep.

Anyway, I stepped further into the shop and went to the display of jelly slugs- hands down my most favorite treat- and grabbed a couple of boxes. Hermione was looking at a box of sugar quills slightly wistfully.

"You like sugar quills?" I asked, leaning against the aisle next to her. She nodded her head, tearing her eyes away from the tempting treat with a small frown.

"I love them."

"So why not buy one?" I asked, popping open the jelly slug box and eating one. Mr. Flume didn't mind if you ate them, just so long as you paid for it.

"My parents are dentist-teeth doctors-so any time I eat sweets I feel guilty. They're not very good for your teeth."

"Really?" I asked, picking up another jelly slug. "You can probably charm them so they don't hurt you." A thoughtful look crossed her face as she looked at the box.

"I hadn't thought about that." She said. I pushed myself up off the shelves and stepped back down the aisle, headed towards the checkout. Hermione followed me, a bag of Bertie Bott Beans, a box of Chocolate Frogs, and Cauldron Cakes in tow. "They're for Harry, Ron, and Ginny for Christmas. I've already gotten them something, but I thought they might like these too." I nodded my head, flashing her a grin.

"I've got to stop by Zonko's to get Fred's present. You don't mind, do you?" I asked, handing Mr. Flume my half eaten box of slugs, and a fresh unopened box. He rang it up while Hermione answered.

"No, but isn't it a little late to be shopping?"

"I always have to shop late for Fred. I have to get away from him to do it. Not exactly easy since we do everything together."

"I'm sorry," She said, sounding as though she was scared she'd offended me, "I didn't think about that."

"S'okay." I said easily, standing aside while Flume rang her items up. "Most people don't ever think about it. He has the same problem though, so it evens out some."

"I bet that is annoying." She said as we thanked Mr. Flume and stepped out into the cold of Hogsmeade. We ran across the street quickly, stepping into the warmth of Zonko's. A firecracker went off when we we entered, along with about fifteen other small exploding, flashing, and singing objects. Hermione's mouth dropped open and her eyes brightened.

"So this is Zonko's." She murmured, a slight look of awe on her face. My mouth dropped open at that.

"Are you telling me you've never been here before?"

"No, I went to the book store in third year, the others didn't want to go, so it was my only chance to see it." That made sense, but it wasn't really fair. She shouldn't have had to miss out on the awesomeness that was zonko's just because she liked to read.

"I'll just be a minute, go ahead and have a look around." I stepped forward and then paused turning towards her with what was probably an evil smile. "Don't go down aisle thirteen though." Her eyes widened and before she could ask me another question I was gone. I snuck out the back of the shop quietly, Zonko didn't mind, he knew me well enough to know I wasn't going to hurt anything, and I snuck back to Honeydukes. I bought a package of sugar quills and told Mr. Flume to keep quiet about it. He agreed to, and I raced back across the street. I snuck back into Zonko's and grabbed Fred's gift.

I looked down the aisles, and couldn't find Hermione. Wait, could she be there? A grin lifted my lips and I back tracked to aisle thirteen. Sure enough, a very, very, red Hermione was at the end of it, her eyes bugged out as she looked at what was on the aisle.

"Miss Granger, I'm shocked!" I said, walking up behind her with a grin.

_A/N: hi everyone! Thanks for reading, I'm having a lot of fun with this story. I always love writing from the twins perspective, but I always have a hard time with it, this is the first time I've written iether of them that I'm not having to struggle. (You wouldn't believe the fits I had with 'How Not to Get a Bookworm'.) Now, I have a special request for all my readers. It's near the end of April, and the twin exchange has posted up the poll for this months story. My entry was 'Gabbing Gum' if you liked that stroy, go vote for it on the twin exchange profile, you can get to it by following the link on my profile. Read all the stories and vote for your favorite :D_

_Now, thanks for reading and don't forget to leave a review! I love hearing from you guys and it makes me happy, and can give great inspiration. Have fun and cause lots of trouble!_


	5. Chapter 5

"Miss Granger, I'm shocked!" I said, walking up behind the very frozen Hermione with a big grin. Her eyes shot to mine and she blushed a brilliant red all across her body, even her hair seemed to turn slightly red.

"I-I didn't-couldn't-what?" She kept stammering, moving her mouth in shock as she looked around the M rated aisle. She'd just happened upon the adult pranks, if you get my drift. They not only had pranks, but they also had toys and enhancers, and er, stuff. I stepped up next to her, and looked at the object on the shelf.

"I don't think that is meant for birds." I said, feeling a blush heat up my own cheeks as well. The image was quite explicit.

"I wouldn't know!" She squeaked, backing up and bumping the shelf behind her. Her eyes widened even more and she turned to look at it, nothing fell off , but her eyes landed on the objects that were meant for birds.

"Oh!" She stammered, she turned back towards me, shot me a horrified glance, and then raced out of the aisle. I followed her out, chuckling at how embarrassed she was.

"Come on, Hermione." I said, catching up to her and leading her towards the exit. "We'll stop by Tomes and Scrolls, then we can head back, unless there is some place you want to go." She nodded her head, her blush dissipating a little at the mention of the book store.

"You'd go there with me?"

"Sure," I said with a shrug. " you came to Zonko's with me, it's only fair I return the favor. Besides, I have a potion book I want to buy."

"You're looking at a potion book?" She asked, sounding like she thought I was doing homework. Her eyes were also shocked and wide. I shook my head quickly, letting her know that wasn't the case at all. I never bought books for homework, I didn't read the ones I had, why get extra's?

"Nah, it's for our products." She nodded her head, a pleased smile crossing her face.

"Really?" She asked as we reached the book shop. The door opened automatically and we both stepped through, welcoming the warmth of the shop after the cold walk. I should have remembered to bring a warmer cloak for both of us.

"Yep." I stepped next to her and headed towards the potion aisle. I grabbed the book I was thinking of and went back to find her. She was in the history aisle, looking at a copy of 'Hogwarts: A History.' It was a leather bound copy with gold leaf embellishment, it looked like it had even been hand written.

"You like?" I asked, staring at the book with a smile. It was very, very, Hermione.

" A lot, it's my favorite book and this is a beautiful copy." She sighed and turned away from it, stepping down the aisle a few meters.

"Why not get it then?" I asked, following her.

"I can't afford it." She answered simply, her eyes scanning the shelves. They stopped near the top and a grin lifted her lips. She stepped forward and stood on her tip toes, stretching to reach the book she wanted. Her skirt lifted some, showing off her shapely legs, and her sweater rode up to, causing a bit of the skin on her waist to show. The images started to fill my mind as I was reminded of our rendezvous through aisle thirteen at Zonko's. _Those_ kind of images filled my mind and I felt myself getting lost in a vivid daydream of myself, Hermione and an empty classroom.

"George?" her soft voice broke through the daydream, causing a hot flush to spread across my cheeks as I lost the daydream. She had been saying my name in the daydream, but in a very different manner.

"Yes?" I asked, my voice slightly hoarse. She glanced at me, lowering herself back down from her tip toes.

"Could you reach that book for me? The third one on the top shelf." I nodded my head and stepped closer to the shelves. I stood up on my tip toes and stretched my arm up. I grabbed hold of the elusive book and pulled it off the shelf. I lowered myself back down and handed it to Hermione, who was blushing slightly.

"Thanks." She murmured, her eyes on the ground. I grinned at her, pushing my embarrassment from earlier aside forcefully. We headed back down the aisle and she paused once more, her eyes on the Hogwarts a History book. I checked out the price tag discreetly, and made a decision. It wasn't extremely expensive, just two galleons. She must not have had very much with her. I hadn't given her any head warning about where we were going so she hadn't a chance to grab any money.

I grabbed the book off the shelf and stepped next to her. Her eyes were wide as she looked at me. "I'll get it for you." I said with an easy smile.

"You don't have to, I don't need it." I shook my head at that, already headed towards the check out.

"No problem, just consider it an early Christmas gift." She bit her lip for a moment, her eyes brightening as she looked at me. It was amazing how much her eyes did look like chocolate when she was excited.

I had reached the check out by now and I placed the books down, I grabbed her other one and added it to the pile, pulling out the galleon's to pay for it.

"Consider that a thank you for coming with me." I said, grinning at her. "I was seriously about to go barmy from boredom before you came in."

"Thanks, but I should be thanking you. I've had fun." She said, as we left the shop. I smiled even wider and nodded my head.

"I told you it would be fun."

"I still think we're breaking some rules though."

"Now Miss Granger, do you think I would really break rules?" I asked as I held the door to Honeydukes open for her.

"Are you serious?" She asked, laughing. "Of course, you thrive on breaking rules."

"Only a little bit, but it really isn't against the rules."

"We're not allowed to leave Hogwarts grounds."

"Through the front, or back gate. Secret passageways are perfectly allowed. He wrote it that way on purpose for Remus. He had to be allowed to sneak off grounds to change, and it couldn't be illegal if he got caught." I explained.

"What?" She asked, her eyes wide as we climbed down the ladder. "How did you know that?"

"I studied the rule book. You can't break them if you don't know them. It also makes for a lot of fun with prefects. I can exploit loop holes they never even knew about."

"You are full of surprises, George." She said quietly, following me down the darkening passageway.

"I am, aren't I?" I asked with a grin, leading her down the path. She was full of a few herself, I'd never have called her actually going with me in the first place. She'd made the trip a lot more fun.

Who would have thought it? I had a blast with Hermione Jean Granger, and nobody would ever know.

-o-O-o-

We made it back in record time, with five minutes to spare before the last classes let out. I took my customary spot by the fire, and Hermione sat next to me. If you hadn't seen us move you would have never known we had left Hogwarts at all. The fact that Hermione was smiling really happily now and that I was snacking on Jelly slugs might have given you a hint though.

I grabbed my deck of exploding snap back up and started to play again. Hermione was working dutifully away at her paper sneaking glances at the game every few seconds. I think she wanted to play, but was too nervous to ask if she could.

"Wanna play pairs?" I asked, knocking the tower of cards over. She grinned and nodded her head, setting her half written paper aside. I dealt the cards and leaned back against my seat, hiding my cards from her view. She laid the first card down, a look of concentration coming over her face. I laid a card down, making a match and claiming the cards.

How weird was this? I was sitting in the middle of the Common Room playing cards with Hermione Granger and I really liked it. I wasn't really sure when we had become friends (around the beginning of this story I think, but it might have happened earlier.) but I had fun hanging with her. However, she was excellent at cards, and was gaining the upper hand without much effort.

"Hey guys, mind if we join you?" I looked up from the rather intense game and smiled at Harry. Ron was walking up behind him and he dropped his bag next to Hermione on the couch.

"Sure, we can play pairs. I'm claiming Hermione, she's better than either of you." I said with a grin, sliding off the couch and onto the floor next to her feet. My shoulder brushed her leg and I could feel her shiver slightly at the contact. The fact floored me, though I wasn't really sure why. Okay, I had an inkling, but I was ignoring it. Harry and Ron sat down on the seat I had vacated and picked up my half of the deck. We reshuffled, and then dealt out the cards.

"Okay, you guys go first." Hermione said, nudging my leg with her foot. I nodded my head in agreement, following her silent suggestion.

They laid a card down and we won the hand, claiming their cards. Harry's eyebrows raised and he looked a little alarmed. Ron grunted and laid another card down.

"Where's Fred?" He asked, eyeing me slightly distrustfully.

"Planning a prank." I said without a moments hesitation. "You better watch out. This place is going to be crowded over Christmas break, lots of chance for pranks."

Ron paled drastically and I could feel Hermione shaking behind me with silent laughter, that just made me more excited. "I'd watch any fudge mum might give you, you never know what could happen during the delivery.

"Chocolate Frogs as well." Hermione said, placing a card down on the table. I let a grin take over my face as I looked back at her. She had just threatened to prank Ron. He'd open his frogs at Christmas, see they were from her and freak out!

How hot was that?

I never got a chance to respond, or drool, because right at that moment my twin and best friend decided to reappear.

"Hey Georgie!" He called, plopping down next to me on the other side of Hermione's legs.

"Hey yourself. Have fun with Angie?" I asked, playing another card. Hermione and I were killing the boys, we should have played for money.

"You know I did." He said, looking at my cards over my shoulder. I showed them to him and he grinned before peaking at Hermione's.

"Hey," Ron called with a frown. "No cheating!"

"He's not cheating." Hermione said. "He isn't telling anyone the cards, just looking."

I played another hand and we won it, making Ron frown even more glumly.

"Whenever you finish this game, I have a project that needs your attention." Fred said quietly. I nodded my head and turned back to the game as he hopped up and headed for our dorm.

"I got the book!" I called, reaching into my bag and pulling the book out. He smiled and stepped back towards me. I gave it to him and he looked at it for a moment before a really mischievous grin lifted his lips.

"Perfect." He said, scanning the first few pages. I nodded my head and he turned around, still staring at the book as he walked up the stairs to our dorm. It was looking to be an extremely fun vacation.

"We win." Hermione said, scooping up the rest of Harry and Ron's cards.

Yes, a very fun vacation indeed.

_A/N: I still have a special request for all my readers. It's near the end of April, and the twin exchange has posted up the poll for this months story. My entry was 'Gabbing Gum' if you liked that stroy, go vote for it on the twin exchange profile, you can get to it by following the link on my profile. Read all the stories and vote for your favorite :D_

_Also, if anyone was confused by chapter three's ending, yes, George, Fred, and Lee are helping to keep Hermione company so she's not alone any time with Krum._

_Thanks for reading and don't forget to leave a review! I love hearing from you guys and it makes me happy, and can give great inspiration. Have fun and cause lots of trouble!_


	6. Chapter 6

So, for yet another Christmas we were all stranded at Hogwarts, and for the first time, I wished we weren't .

It had started to snow the next day, and it became clear that it was going to be a very cold, and white Christmas. It was also going to be crowded one, only twelve of the seventy Gryffindors went home for the break. Our common room has always seemed crowded to me, which is something I usually love. Like I said, I'm a people person, but this was ridiculous. Not only was most everyone was staying here, but, we also had the Durmstrang students and Beauxbatons here as well. We were over crowded and everyone was extra rowdy, you couldn't find any room to sit by yourself or carry on a conversation with anyone.

It was great for pranks though. Our canary crème's had sold remarkably well, and people were placing them in everything. Several people had even tried to prank Fred and myself, they'd failed of course.

I missed home though, I wanted to spend a Christmas with my family, away from all the chaos. Just the Weasley's, Harry, and Hermione. ( they were family as far as we were concerned.)

To make my slightly depressed self even worse though, Fred was almost never around. He was spending a lot of time with Angelina. I'd expected as much when he'd finally asked her out, but still, I missed hanging out with my twin and best friend.

So, to make up for the fact that I was lonely, I was spending more time with the trio. It was driving Ron crazy (he hadn't forgotten my threat to prank him, neither had I) but Harry and Hermione didn't mind my tagging along. We went to the Great Hall for a late lunch, and had to sit next to Fleur Delacour, who did nothing but complain about the food. It was really funny to watch Ron fidget and blush around her, but it got annoying after a little bit. Hermione looked annoyed at Fleur as well.

Once we'd finished our meal we got up and headed out of the Great hall, right behind Fleur.

"It is too 'eavy, all zis 'Ogwarts food," she said loudly, and grumpily as we left. Ron was hiding behind Harry and me, and Hermione was walking by my side, rolling her eyes as Fleur talked. "I will not fit into my dress robes!"

"Oooh there's a tragedy," Hermione snapped as Fleur went out into the entrance hall. "She really thinks a lot of herself, that one, doesn't she?" I laughed, nodding my head.

"Yeah, I have a new item I'd like to test on her."

"What?" Hermione asked, an eager glint in her eyes. My own eyes widened at her eagerness and I fought back a laugh at how excited she looked.

"Hair changing potion. It makes you go bald for a few hours. Her face should be really fun when it happens." Hermione's eyes lit up in pure joy as she let out a loud laugh, Harry joined in with us, clutching his sides as he laughed. Ron stopped walking, not laughing, and turned towards a laughing Hermione.

"Hermione - who are you going to the ball with?" He asked suddenly. She rolled her eyes and shook her head, catching her breath back. Ron had been doing this for days, randomly asking her that question. It wasn't like he could trick her into telling him, she was far too smart for that. Though it would have been funny to see his face when he found out I was her date.

Er, escort… No, that's even worse, now I sound like a male hooker… Companion? Friend? Associate? I didn't really like any of those any better…

"I'm not telling you, for the millionth time." She said, rolling her eyes in exasperation.

"You're joking, Weasley!" another, annoyingly familiar, voice said behind us. We all turned around and glared at Malfoy as he approached us. "You're not telling me someone's asked that to the ball? Not the long-molared Mudblood?" Fury gripped me and my eyes narrowed and my wand was withdrawn before Malfoy could even blink. My blood started pounding in my ears and my pulse tripled. I had just passed mad, I was _livid. A_ hex was on the tip of my tongue but I never got to say it. Hermione stepped forward, smiling and waving at someone behind Malfoy.

"Hello, Professor Moody!" She called loudly. Moody was still at the staff table eating his stew, but Malfoy clearly didn't know that. His eyes grew really wide and he spun around, looking everywhere wildly, his hands thrown up in front of his face as though he was trying to protect it.

What was that all about?

"Twitchy little ferret, aren't you, Malfoy?" Hermione said in a scathing tone. Harry, and Ron started to break down laughing.

Okay, clearly I was missing some sort of joke. I was not going to go without knowing it for long. The first moment I had Hermione somewhat alone, I was going to ask her about it. Ron was terrible at telling stories, and Harry always made them depressing.

"Hermione," Ron said once he got his breath back. He was looking at her with a slight frown, as though he couldn't believe something. "your teeth ..." that stopped both of us in our walk. Hermione looked at me with wide eyes, her mouth opening in shock. She masked it quickly, and I somehow managed too as well.

"What about them?" she asked.

"Well, they're different. . . I've just noticed. . . ." I couldn't believe it, she'd done that back in September, had he really just noticed? How dense could he be?

Could we really be related? Maybe Percy and him were adopted…

"Of course they are - did you expect me to keep those fangs Malfoy gave me?" Hermione asked, somehow managing to keep a straight face.

"No, I mean, they're different to how they were before he put that hex on you. . . . They're all... straight and - and normal-sized." He stuttered, seeming to have trouble forming words suddenly. I still couldn't believe he hadn't noticed before that her smile had changed. It changed everything about her to me. Her smile was wonderful, it was beautiful, and fit her face perfectly. She looked over at Ron again, and gave him an extremely mischievous smile that I really liked. She looked like she was up to absolutely no good.

"Well. . . when I went up to Madam Pomfrey to get them shrunk, she held up a mirror and told me to stop her when they were back to how they normally were," she explained, "and I just. . . let her carry on a bit." She smiled even more widely, her eyes practically sparkling with mirth. "Mum and Dad won't be too pleased. I've been trying to persuade them to let me shrink them for ages, but they wanted me to carry on with my braces. You know, they're dentists, they just don't think teeth and magic should - look! Pigwidgeons back!" I couldn't get over how mischievous she looked. It was cool, it made her eyes seem wider and her face even prettier.

It was really hot.

Pidgwidgon was making a ruckus on the top of the banister, hooting like mad and sticking his foot out to anyone who passed by. A bunch of girls were cooing at him, pointing and laughing.

"Stupid little feathery git!" Ron hissed, hurrying up the stairs and snatching Pigwidgeon up. "You bring letters to the addressee! You don't hang around showing off!" Pigwidgeon kept right on hooting happily and whipping his head around. That bird was missing a few screws in his head. Then again, his master was Ron, so what did I expect?

"Here - take it, Harry," Ron said, giving the letter to Harry. Harry had been using Ron's owl a lot recently, what was the deal with that? They were up to something, but what?

I followed the group to the common room, fighting a sigh when I saw Fred still wasn't back.

"Um, George?" Harry said hesitatingly.

"Yeah?" I asked, getting the feeling I was about to get kicked out of this group.

"I kind of need some privacy for a little while." I nodded my head. It was what I had been expecting. Maybe I'd go hunt Fred down and embarrass him in front of Angelina. Or I'd find Lee and get him to help me with a prank product for Malfoy.

"Fair enough. I'll go grace someone else with my wonderful presences for a while." I said with a grin, letting them know I wasn't upset. Much.

I left the common room, deciding I would go work on the fever fudge for a while. We had a work station set up in the caved in passageway on the third floor, no one but us knew it was there so it was a great place to hide out.

I made my way there with almost no problems, I ran into a few people but none of them stopped me. I was on the third floor, eight meters away from the secret passage, when I saw the one person in all of Hogwarts I did not want to see.

Katie Bell.

I ducked behind a knight statue and closed my eyes, praying that she didn't see me. I was completely alone with absolutely no one to help get me out of this situation. Maybe I could get lucky, maybe she hadn't seen me…

"George?"

Merlin's beard.

I stayed perfectly still, praying that she had only thought she saw me. Maybe she hadn't seen me hide here. Her clicking heels sounded down the hall, towards me. I gritted my teeth and pushed myself out from behind the statue. It was silly to be hiding from a witch that was at least three inches shorter than me.

"You call?" I asked, stepping around the statue. She nodded her head, a big grin lifting her lips.

"Yes, I did!" I kept walking down the hall, and she followed like I knew she would.

"You want something?" I asked, not sounding rude, but not sounding interested either.

"Yes, I want to know why you won't take me to the ball."

"Huh?" I asked, stopping in surprise. She stopped as well, turning towards me with a frown.

"I've asked Angelina. She said that Fred hadn't said you'd asked anyone yet. I talked to Lee, Alicia, Leanna, Helen, Matthew, Alana, and Patricia. None of them have heard you ask anyone either. You haven't been dating anyone since last year, and you haven't been seeing anyone this year."

That is why Katie Bell scared me. I'm not a shy guy, I've been out with a fair number of birds. None though did anything remotely like this. Asking everyone I know if I was seeing anyone, following me around, and pretty much knowing more about me than I was really comfortable with anyone knowing.

I mean, who does that? Who knows who I'm dating, when, and why? I needed to sit down with my friends and have a long talk too, apparently. Specifically with Fred and Lee. I can't even describe how not alright I was with the fact that she was taking things Fred was telling Ange to find out things about me.

"I haven't asked you to the ball because I don't want to take you to the ball." I said looking her straight in the eyes and keeping my voice even.

"Yes you do." She said with an incredible sense of denial.

"No, I really don't. I've already asked someone else. Someone I like a lot better. You need to take one of your other offers, I'm not going to ask you."

"You asked someone else?" She asked in shock. Had that really been all she'd gotten from what I just said? I sighed, unable to help myself and nodded my head.

"Yes, Katie, I asked someone else. I'm sorry, but there is not going to be any us. I'm just not interested in you in that way. I don't mind being a friend, but I don't want anything else, I'll never want anything else. I'm always happy to help you if a Slytherin needs hexing, but I'm not going to date you. I simply have not, do not, and will not, have even the slightest romantic interest in you."

"Who is she?" Godric's ghost, she really did have a one track mind. I mean, wouldn't you have at least paused after that speech?

"Why would I tell you?" I asked. I turned around and walked away, leaving her behind.

"I'll find out, George Weasley!" She yelled.

I hoped to Merlin she didn't until the actual ball.

_A/N: Thanks for reading! Now, don't forget to review. If you've taken the time to alert, or especially favorite, this story, please take a little extra time to review it. I love hearing from you guys!_

_I still have a special request for all my readers. It's near the end of April, and the twin exchange has posted up the poll for this months story. My entry was 'Gabbing Gum' if you liked that story, go vote for it on the twin exchange profile, you can get to it by following the link on my profile. Read all the stories and vote for your favorite :D_


	7. Chapter 7

I was playing my tenth game of Exploding snap, and I was past bored with the game, but it was either that or Chess, and I never played Chess. Ron would beat me every time, he was uncannily good at it, especially when you thought about how smart you had to be to do well at it. We should pitch him against the Ravenclaws, we could probably make a lot of money off the brainy house. They'd think they could beat him for sure, I mean, let's face it, he's not exactly the sharpest tool in the shed.

I let my eyes scan the room again, hoping to see my missing twin. I saw him walk in through the portrait whole laden with boxes and I leap off the couch, causing my deck to explode.

"Oi!" I exclaimed, walking up behind my twin in annoyance.

"There you are!" he said, grinning excitedly, he dropped half his supply into my empty arms and turned around, walking back out the portrait hole.

"Where have you been?" I asked, my voice showing my annoyance as I followed him out of the hole. "I've been searching for hours."

"I was with Angie for a while, we missed lunch, so I snuck down to the kitchens. I just got a wonderful idea for an item though so I got a few supplies." he said, indicating the items in our hands. "Why? What's up?"

"I've been looking for you." I said again.

"Yes, I heard that part. Why?"

"Because I got cornered by Katie, and I have someone we need to test a product on." I said. We reached the passageway where we kept our laboratory of sorts and Fred nudged it open with his foot after giving the password.

"You got caught by Katie?" He asked, sounding sympathetic.

"Yes, and she somehow knew I hadn't asked anyone out to the ball publicly. Where are we going?"

"I figured we could work on the fever fudge and my new idea."

"Sure," I told him my eyes lighting up at the idea. "Is Lee coming?"

Fred shook his head, a grin quirking his lips up. "Nah, he's keeping the lovely Miss Alicia company right now."

"Lucky dog." I said with a grin, we had made it to the end of our corridor. We rounded the corner and rammed into Hermione, knocking her down. I twisted around, almost falling with her. I righted myself quickly and got a better grip on my boxes.

"Woah!" I yelped, juggling my boxes around until I could reach out a hand to help her. She blushed and grabbed onto my arm, letting me help pull her back up.

"Thanks, George." She said with a small smile.

"What are you doing?" I asked, realizing she was alone.

"Oh, I was finishing up Harry's present. I snuck away when he wasn't looking." She explained casually.

"Not a good idea, 'Mione. You should have gotten me, I'd have come with you. You're not supposed to be alone.

"I'm sorry." She said, sounding sincere. "I didn't even think about that. I'll look you up next time I'm sneaking out."

"Good, after all, that is what we do best." I said with a cheeky grin. She blushed again, and nodded her head again.

"Alright, see you at dinner." She said cheerily. I smiled back at her and nodded my head before turning and stepping into Fred. He hadn't moved since I'd knocked Hermione over. I smiled at him, unnerved when I looked at his face, he was frowning at me. His eyes shot to the portrait hole where Hermione disappeared and he stepped back from me, resuming our walk down the hall. I stood still for a moment before shaking myself and following him around the corner.

Fred was leaning against the wall and was giving me the same look he'd had a moment ago. I couldn't place it, and that was making me uneasy. It was as if he couldn't believe something I'd done but I couldn't think of anything I'd done to earn that sort of a look.

"Fred?" I asked, keeping my voice blank. He pushed himself off the wall and stepped next to me, and we started down the corridor again.

"Georgie," He said, keeping the face for a moment longer. "What was that?"

"What was what?" I asked, frowning in confusion. I couldn't remember the last time I had not understood something Fred said. It wasn't right.

"That!" He said, as though it should have explained everything. "You and Granger."

"Me and Hermione?" I asked, feeling uneasy. What was he talking about?

No, I wasn't in denial.

"See!" He exclaimed, a mischievous smile overtaking his face that made me feel better, and worse at the same time. Better because I understood that look, worse because I understood that look, I was in trouble. "You just called her Hermione instead of Granger!"

"So." I asked, my voice had become guarded when I wasn't looking.

"You like her!" He said, sounding as though he couldn't quite believe it himself.

"I do not." I said, probably a little too quickly. I wanted to nip that in the bud before it could get any ground. "Just because I asked her to the Yule Ball doesn't mean I like her."

Fred stopped dead in his tracks, his mouth dropping open and his eyes going wide. "You did what?"

How had he not known that? I know I told him at least once... He'd just been snogging Angelina though, so he probably hadn't been paying attention. Great, this would not help my case any. "Yeah, I asked her about a week and a half ago."

"What?" He asked stupidly. He was still blinking in shock.

"I asked Hermione Granger to the Yule Ball." I said each word slowly, making sure to carefully enunciate them all. Fred glared at me for a moment before responding.

"Why?" He questioned, his eyes still wide. I sighed and shook my head, this would be hard to explain.

"Remember when we were escaping from Katie?" I asked, he nodded his head, shuddering. "Yeah, I went back to the portrait hole and I ran into Hermione. She was crying so I took her with me as I made my escape. I just wanted to make her stop crying. Anyway, she told me Ron had pretty much told her she was ugly and it had really upset her. I was still panicked about Katie so I asked her to go with me. She accepted and we've been hanging out a bit more sense then." Fred's eyes had gone even wider, and he looked like he was in shock. "Mostly because of Krum." I quickly added.

"Bloody hell!" Fred spluttered.

"It's not that big of a deal." I said, walking again. Fred followed me quickly, his eyes back to their normal size, but his face still shocked.

"You asked Hermione to the ball!" He exclaimed. I looked at him out of the corner of my eyes and shook my head.

"You know, we've been spending too much time with the trio-you're starting to sound like Ron." His eyes narrowed at that and he poked my arm.

"That was low. I'm allowed to be shocked, you just asked Hermione Granger out on a date!" That made me stop. Who had said anything about a date? We were just going to the ball as friends. It was really more of a business arrangement.

Just thinking that made me feel upset.

Oh Godric, this was not good.

"You do realize that Ron has had a crush on her since second year, right?" Fred asked. I shrugged, feeling only a little guilty. I could still see her teary eyes after he had made her cry, twice. "He isn't going to be happy with you."

"I don't like her!" I exclaimed, walking again. I was now officially in denial. I couldn't very well admit I liked (even though I didn't) my little brother's crush. That was the first rule of brotherhood, never, ever, look at your brother's girl. Still, I couldn't help but defend myself, I kept seeing her crying face. "I'm not sure he even does, plus, he keeps making her cry. I just asked her to be nice. I don't like her."

"You do too, I know you. I saw that sparkle in your eyes when you helped her up. She even got you to go the library. The _library, _George. Merlin, George, why her?"

"I don't like her, but she is funny, smart, and not bad on the eyes. She's also really nice, and a brilliant witch." I said, my voice taking on a protective quality that I wasn't crazy about.

"I'm sorry, it's just funny. You falling for 'Mione, the resident bookworm. I never saw it coming."

"It hasn't come." I said, my voice getting slightly wistful despite my efforts. "She's just a friend. I asked her because Ron was being a git to her and I needed some one so Katie would leave me alone- that backfired though. She's now determined to find out who I'm going with…"

I sighed and shook my head. We'd reached the passageway now."Just drop it Fred. I don't like her. Now let's make those sweets."

"Whatever you say, Georgie." Fred said, frowning as he opened the secret passageway. I know my twin better than anyone else on the planet, better than he knows himself, I should have known that wasn't going to be the end of it.

-o-O-o-

Another day passed inconsequentially (doesn't that make me sound smart?), and before I knew it, it was the night before the ball. I was sitting in a quiet corner of the common room working on, wait for it, my homework (in my defense, I just couldn't play another game of exploding snap, and we couldn't work on our products because the cauldron had blown up and we were having to wait for the toxic fumes to dissipate.) Unsurprisingly I was sitting alone. Fred was playing a checkers with Lee, a game that I was truly dismal at.

"George, can I ask you a personal question?" Hermione asked, stepping up beside me as I finished my essay on the use of a patronus charm.

I looked up from the paper and nodded my head, patting the spot on the couch next to me to indicate that she could sit down. She did, perching on the edge of the seat and folding her hands up on her lap. Her eyes found mine and they were wide and nervous, making me uneasy.

"George," She started, her eyes dropping from mine and looking at my paper in my hands. "Where are you picking me up for the thing?" I relaxed and smiled. That wasn't nearly as bad as what I had been thinking. She merely wanted to know what we were doing. For some reason we'd come to a sort of agreement that we wouldn't mention the fact that we were going to the ball together. I was glad because that meant that Katie wouldn't find out and possibly do something to Hermione. I didn't think she'd go that far, but the girl was kind of crazy.

"I was thinking I'd meet you in the common room. That's where a lot of blokes are meeting their dates. It was kind of just agreed upon, I'm not really sure why. Is that okay with you?" She let out a breath and gave me a big smile, one that was far happier than I'd seen her give recently.

"That's fine!" She said, her eyes sparkling in the fire light. "I'll be ready then." She stood up and smoothed her skirt down absentmindedly, bringing my attention to her wonderful legs once again. I forced myself to keep my gaze on her eyes though, repressing the urge to ogle her. "It's a date then." She finished. Her eyes grew wide and a blush lit her cheeks at her choice of words she mumbled something about goodbye before turning around and racing up the stairs to her dormitory.

A date with Hermione Granger. I didn't mind that idea at all.

Not that I liked her.

"Hey, Georgie." Fred's voice said behind my shoulder. I turned my head towards him and smiled up at Lee and Fred, "we need to see you in the dorm, new idea for a product."

"Sure." I said, closing my book and gathering up my papers.

"Were you just doing homework?" Lee asked. His eyes wide as he looked at me. I nodded my head.

"What else was there to do I've played a thousand games of exploding snap, I hate checkers and chess, and our cauldrons blew up."

"Yeah, but, homework?" I rolled my eyes and shouldered my bag. It wasn't that unusual. I did almost all of my homework. I like Charms, Arithmacy, and Potions. They were my three owls, and I needed them for the shop. Fred had Charms, Transfiguration, and Potions as well.

We went up to the bedroom and I dropped my bag on my bed, noting with a sense of annoyance, that Lee and Fred had gotten extremely quiet, never, ever, ever, a good sign with them-well, me either, but that's beside the point. I turned around slowly, dreading what I was about to see, and found Fred and Lee standing right behind me, arms crossed and equally mischievous smiles on their faces.

"Guys?" I asked slowly, no doubt sounding suspicious. They stepped towards me together, and both grabbed one of my arms, pushing me till I was sitting down on my bed.

"We need to talk, Georgie."

Bullocks.

_A/N: Thanks for reading! Now, don't forget to review. If you've taken the time to alert, or especially favorite, this story, please take a little extra time to review it. I love hearing from you guys!_


	8. Chapter 8

"What about?" I asked not missing the annoyed look that crossed Fred's face for a moment.

"About 'Mione of course." Lee said, rolling his eyes at my lame attempt to throw them off.

"We've been noticing a few things." They said together. I rolled my eyes and leaned against my pillow, readying myself to be drilled about Hermione.

"So," Fred prodded, probably hoping I would just spill the beans.

"So?" I asked, deciding I'd make it at least a little hard for them. They were going to have to work to get me to talk. Not that there was anything to talk about.

"Come off it, George. You know we're talking about Hermione." Lee said.

"Nicely put, Lee." Fred said with a hint of annoyance. "yeah, we want to know about you and Hermione." He said, grinning again.

"What about us?" I asked, fiddling with a quill.

"The details man!" Fred yelped, leaning forward and shaking me. I laughed at his antics, knowing I couldn't put this off much longer.

"Okay," I said, after a moment, trying to catch my breath back. "Okay! I'll talk!" He let go of me and leaned back, grinning widely.

"That's all we ask."

"Yes, I have been hanging out with Hermione." I said feeling myself blush a bit.

"A lot." Fred and Lee said together.

"Yes, a lot. That's partly your fault you know." I said with a grin. They both had the decency to look somewhat ashamed. "What can I say, she's fun to hang with."

"And?" Fred prodded. He was beginning to remind me of a few birds I knew.

"I like hanging out with her."

"You really do like Hermione." Lee said, sounding surprised.

"I don't like her, but it's not like that would be a bad thing. She's pretty, smart, funny, and nice." I said, my voice becoming protective. I seemed to be doing that a lot lately.

"I wasn't saying it was a bad thing, just surprising." Lee explained. "You two are kind of really different. What do you even find to talk about?"

"I don't think talking is what they're doing." Fred said, waggling his eyebrows.

"That was an image I did not need." Lee said with a shudder.

"What do you mean?" I asked, firing up again. "Hermione is hot."

"Woah." Fred said, his eyes growing wide. Merlin's beard, had I really just said that? "Did you just say Hermione was hot?"

"Yes," my voice was defensive again.

"Hermione Granger? Bookworm Hermione?"

"Yes, she's got great legs, she just never shows them. She's also grown quite a bit in since last year."

"Does she know?" Fred asked quietly, still looking shocked.

"Know what? There's nothing to know. Didn't you both say something about a product?" I asked, hoping we could drop the subject. They both nodded their heads, smiling again, but it didn't quite reach their eyes.

-o-O-o-

It's Christmas! Yippee!

I woke up first, as I always do, and instantly shot out of bed. I had a pile of presents at the foot of my bed, and Fred and Lee did as well. I hopped onto Fred's bed and began to bounce up and down on it, waking him up with my antics.

"Wakey wakey Fred!" I exclaimed, laughing in excitement. Fred mumbled something, pulling his rumpled blanket up around his shoulders again. "It's Christmas!" I exclaimed again. That got him up. He pushed himself up off of the bed, knocking me over, and hopped off the bed. We both raced across the room together and jumped onto Lee's bed, bouncing beside him.

"Wakey, Wakey! It's Christmas!" We shouted, keeping up what had been a very long running Christmas tradition for the three of us. Lee woke up groggily, sitting up in his bed as Fred and I jumped off the bed. We sat down at the foot of our own bed, in front of our pile of presents, and got ready to open them.

Lee made it the foot of his bed, and together, we began to tear into our presents. I opened my present from mum first, and it was a blue sweater with a yellow G on it and, a pile of mincemeat pies. I tossed the sweater to Fred, and caught his in return, pulling it on over my head. He now had a big G on his chest, and I had a big F on mine.

I went for a bright blue present next, unsure who it was from. It didn't have a name on it, so I just went ahead and ripped it open, letting out a gasp when I saw what was inside.

It was not only a box of jelly slugs, but it was also a box of little cards with our future store logo on them. 'WWW' in bright Magenta letters. They had our names on them, the name of our business, and our owl address.

Someone had given us business cards!

"Fred!" I yelped, waving him and Lee over. They hopped of their beds and came over to see what had me so excited. They both picked up a card and looked at it in shock.

"Who are these from?" Fred asked, flipping them over. He flipped it back right side up and let out a gasp as it started to scroll a list of our products.

"I don't know!" I said, flipping my own card over and letting out a laugh when I saw the list. This was beyond neat. It was the first time I'd actually seen the name written down like that, like a business. It made the whole thing seem real, doable-if that makes sense. No one had ever supported our shop before, not our parents, not our siblings, only Lee. But now someone was making us real cards, it was like they were investing in our business.

Fred shot Lee a look over my head, clearly having an idea at who had made the cards.

"What?" I asked, curious about his opinion.

"You think Hermione might have made these? Did you tell her about the shop?" My eyes widened and my mouth dropped open. He had to be right, she was the only one I had told about our shop ideas. Probably because of the amount of time I'd been spending with her. That and the fact that she was really easy to talk to. I flipped through the rest of the box, counting the number of cards in it. 200, meaning there was a hundred apiece. At the very back of the box was a small piece of parchment with a familiar calligraphy.

_George,_

_I hope you enjoy the cards. Thanks for everything, have a happy Christmas! I know your business will be incredibly. If there is one thing I know you, Fred, and Lee can do, it's prank. _

_Sincerely,_

_Hermione_

I was officially smitten.

I, George Fabian Weasley, am admitting it. I… Like... Hermione…

-o-O-o-

We opened the rest of our presents and then headed downstairs to see what the others were doing. The trio had already gone off to breakfast, so we headed to the Great Hall to join them. Hermione was sitting next to Harry, and her other side was free. The place we usually sat was taken so I slipped in next to her easily. Fred sat on my other side and Lee sat across from us, next to Alicia.

Hermione smiled at me as I scooped some eggs and sausages onto my plate. Once I had my plate full and I was sure Harry and Ron weren't paying any attention to us I leaned over so that my mouth was right next to her ear, my lips barely grazing the shell of it.

"Thanks for the gift, it was awesome." She shivered as my breath brushed against her cheek and she turned to face me as I pulled back, a faint blush coloring her cheeks.

"Yo-you're welcome." She stuttered, her eyes sparkling happily. "Thanks for the book and Sugar Quills." She said shyly, lowering her eyes. "That was really sweet, and clever. They won't hurt my teeth at all."

That was me in a nutshell, sweet and clever.

-o-O-o-

After lunch we went outside for a snow ball fight. I managed to drag Fred, Lee, Harry, Ron, Ginny, Seamus, Dean, Neville, and even Hermione outside to play. Hermione didn't want to play, insisting she would rather just sit on the side line and watch.

Fred, Lee, Seamus and I were on the same team, and Ginny, Harry, Dean, Neville, and Ron were on the other. It only took a few minutes for snowballs to fill the air. Lee took charge of maintaining our fort, while Fred and I took the offensive. We had Ron and Ginny cowering for their fort within a matter of seconds. We attacked together, and we didn't even have to talk to do it.

The others never stood a chance.

The time passed by incredibly fast, and before I knew it Hermione was standing up to leave.

"Sorry guys, it's five o'clock. I've got to go get dressed, Ginny, come on." Ginny dove from behind the fort, running for Hermione.

"What, you need three hours?" Ron asked, sounding shocked. He really didn't hang around many girls, did he? While it only took a bloke twenty minutes to get ready, it always took a girl at least eight times as long as a bloke. That's why they tended to look eight times better than blokes as well.

He wasn't looking at me so I shot Fred a quick glance. He nodded his head, a wicked grin lifting his lip. I returned my gaze to Ron. I threw my freshly made snow ball at him and hit him on the back of his head.

He yelped but shook the snow out of his hair and continued. "Who are you going with?" He yelled after her retreating back. She just looked over her shoulder, grinning at us and waved. I knew she was waving at me but Ron thought it was at him. A moment later she disappeared up the stone steps.

We went on with our game for a while longer, but by seven it was too dark to really see anything. We headed back in, cold and excited. It was an hour until the ball, which was plenty of time to get ready. Fred and I didn't even need a minute, we were already too good looking.

Harry reached the portrait hole first, where the Fat Lady was sitting with her 'friend' Violet. She looked like she had gotten really into the Christmas spirit. In other words, she had found out where the Christmas 'spirits' were stashed.

"Yes, Lairy Fights, that's it!" She hiccupped, swinging forward and letting us in. We split apart and went to our dorms. I changed into my black dress robes, thanking Merlin that I was good enough at transfiguration to make the run down robes mum had gotten me look brand new. I combed through my hair, trying to make it hang straight instead of the somewhat haphazardous style it usually chose. I even went so far as to put on some cologne. By seven thirty I was one handsome looking bloke.

Fred and I were standing in the room, while Lee was in our joined bathroom. I walked up behind Fred, who was looking in a floor length mirror he had conjured up to tweak his tie and examined myself in the mirror.

"You know, O Brother of Mine," I said with a mischievous smile. "the only difference between us is that I make this look good."

He laughed, flashing me a grin as Lee finally walked out of the bathroom. A few minutes later and we were ready to leave. I led the way down the stairs and into the common room. For the first time since Hermione had said yes to me, I began to feel nervous.

How weird was that? I was nervous about taking Hermione to the ball. We weren't even really going on a date, at least not in her view. She thought we were just going as friends. I had as well, until last night when she'd accidentally said the word 'date.'

Bollocks, I needed to get a grip and get over it. Or, I needed to get her to fall for me.

Wait, why not? I was a Weasley twin, and I was the handsomer, more charming one. I shouldn't have a problem , most birds would flip at the chance to go out with me. Hermione was not most birds though, she was a brilliant, pretty, nearly perfect, bird. She wouldn't be won by the typical stuff. I'd have to pull out all the stops.

I was going to make sure that Hermione Granger had the time of her life tonight, and tomorrow, I'd ask her out on an official date.

_A/N: Thanks for reading! Now, don't forget to review. If you've taken the time to alert, or especially favorite, this story, please take a little extra time to review it. I love hearing from you guys!_

_Also, the poll results are in, the least favorite cannon pairing is, Hermione and Ron-with a huge 49 votes! Harry and Ginny came in second with 21, George/Angelina with 16, Fred Angelina with 15, Luna/Scmander with 12, Neville/Hannah with 7, and last place was Tonks and Remus with 4. A new poll is up, so if you're bored, go check it out :)_


	9. Chapter 9

Angelina was already there, so Fred went off with her. He stood frozen for a solid minute when he saw her. She was wearing a maroon dress and had her long hair pulled back in sort of a plait thing. She'd looked pretty, but she had really rendered Fred speechless. I had to push him to get him moving again.

"Might want to close your mouth, Freddie." I commented, laughing when he turned and shot me a glare. Lee had already disappeared with Alicia, so when Fred stepped forward and escorted Angelina out of the portrait hole, which left me alone with a few other blokes to wait for Hermione.

I stood with my hands in pockets and watched the other blokes waiting for their own dates. Most of them were extremely fidgety and rather pale. They were all watching the staircase with wide, scared eyes. It was honestly pathetic. It wasn't like they were getting married, they just had to dance. I shook my head and turned towards the staircase, waiting for Hermione to show. I didn't have to wait very long.

She appeared at the top of the stair case, and every single guy waiting in the hallway was watching her the moment she turned the corner. My mouth dropped open and I found myself mirroring Fred earlier when he saw Angie. Words like beautiful, stunning, gorgeous, dazzling, breath taking, lovely, none of them were adequate to describe her. Her dress was made of this floaty periwinkle material that showed off the fact that she had grown into a curvy witch wonderfully, and made her pale skin seem to glow. I had no idea what she had done to her hair, but her normally bushy hair had been pulled back into a bun, and only a few, tamed, soft curls were left to frame her face.

For the first time in my life I was struck speechless by a girl.

Her eyes scanned the crowd of guys, landing on mine and locking me with her gaze. A smile lifted her soft lips and she headed down the stairs. I gave myself a mental shake. I stepped forward with a smile, noting that several blokes were now glaring at me. I waved my wand discretely, summoning a blue hydrangea for her that would match her dress.

"Hey," I said, meeting her at the foot of the stairs. "You look really, really, amazing, Hermione." I said, flashing her my best grin and handing her the flower. Her eyes brightened as she took the small flower, turning it over in her hand before sticking it up in her hair. I smiled at her again and she returned it with a more timid one, and took my offered arm.

"Thanks." She paused, taking in my dress robes with a smile. "You look dashing as well."

"Thanks," I said, leading her to the portrait hole. "I worked on my hair for _hours" _I said, fluffing my hair dramatically. She laughed at that, covering it with her hand in an attempt to stifle it. I stopped in front of the portrait hole and climbed through it, turning around to see Hermione look at the hole with a frown. I grinned at her, but she didn't see it. I stepped back up the portrait hole and back through it until I was next to her again.

"George?" She asked with a curious look. I smiled disarmingly and then scooped her up in one easy move so that I was carrying her bridal style. She let out a squeaky yelp and grabbed at me nervously. She needn't have worried, I wasn't about to drop her, she was extremely light.

"Allow me to escort the beautiful maiden across the troublesome hole." I said with a goofy grin and overdone accent. She smiled, and looked like she was fighting a laugh.

"You don't have-oh!" I stepped over the hole, careful not to jostle or drop her, and we were on the other side. I smiled down at her again before continuing down the hall, still caring her. She laughed, pushing against me.

"Put me down, George!" She laughed out. I grinned wickedly and nodded my head.

"As the lady wishes." I let my arms give out and she screamed, grabbing at me in an attempt not to hit the hard floor. She realized after a moment that I hadn't actually let her go, I'd only pretended and she shot me a fierce glare.

"You really thought I was going to drop you?" I asked her, setting her down properly. She blushed and shook her head.

"No, it's a natural reaction." She said defensively.

"Well, I'll have to drop you more often if it gets you to hold onto me like that." I said, waggling my eyebrows suggestively. She grinned at me, a pretty blush coloring her cheeks.

"I did not 'hold onto you' I was simply trying not to fall." She stated, resuming our walk down the hall.

I nodded my head in mock solemnity. "Yes, Miss. Granger, you were holding onto me desperately."

"In your dreams, Weasley." She said. I watched her walk beside me and fought a sigh. She had no idea how close that was to the truth. In my dreams indeed. I was in so much trouble! How was this happening? When had I fallen for the little bookworm-also known as my little brothers crush? Godric's ghost, Merlin's Beard, and Cerci's curse!

I caught up with her again and offered her my arm once more. She took it with a smile and opened her mouth like she wanted to say something but quickly shut it.

"I'm just going to warn you," I said in a bracing tone. "I'm not a brilliant dancer." I held up my free hand as though to stop her objections. "I know, I know. It's hard to believe that with how utterly brilliant I am at _everything_, but it's true. Minnie's description of us being a babbling, bumbling band of baboons was extremely on point."

Her eyes widened before a look of profound relief washed over her face. "I'm not particularly gifted either, George. We should make an interesting pair."

"If by 'interesting pair' you mean will have nearby couples running for their life, then you're quite right." She smiled again, a real, full, un-nervous one.

"At least it'll be fun."

"Oh, it will definitely be fun, Hermione. Wild, crazy, dangerous, and maybe slightly maiming, but it will definitely be fun."

"Well, they went all the way with the decorations, didn't they?" Hermione said with a grin, looking at the redecorated Great Hall. It was covered in Christmas tables, and there were five long tables set up on the floor instead of the usual four.

"Yeah, they sure did." I scanned the room, looking for our friends, and I spotted Fred over in the corner of our usual table. Hermione saw them at the same time and started walking towards them. Fred, Lee, Angelina, and Alicia were all sitting together, laughing at something Lee had just said.

"Hey guys." Hermione said, her eyes on the ground. She looked really nervous about meeting the others. Was she worried about what they would think? They all knew I was taking her. I hadn't hidden the fact, I'd told all my friends. I'd also told them not to tell Katie. After meeting Katie in the hall the other night I'd made sure to have a _long_ talk with each of my friends.

"Hey, 'Mione." Fred said with an easy smile.

"I love your dress!" Angelina exclaimed, leaning forward to better see Hermione.

"How did you get your hair to stay like that?" Alicia asked. She also had curly hair, but it wasn't as wild.

"Sleek easy." Hermione answered, her eyes lighting up. "Ginny helped me with it. She's very gifted with hair charms." She explained as she sat down, I sat next to her, noting that the tables had been tweaked. They were wider now, making it harder to talk to the people across from you. I guess they were trying to make it more private for the couples.

"Behold, our Champions!" Dumbledore's voice boomed out from the head table and effectively ended our conversation. We all turned towards the doors to the great hall expectantly, and they burst open. Cedric and Cho were the first to walk in, followed by Krum and a girl I didn't recognize, Fleur and Davies followed them, and a terrified looking Harry and Pavarti brought up the rear.

We clapped, and I let out a hoot for Harry, joined by Fred and Lee. After a moment Hermione got a big grin and put her fingers to her lips, she let out a loud, shrill whistle, calling out Harry's name a moment later. His eyes shot over to her and he grinned before his eyes shot to mine and grew wide. Pavarti mumbled something to him and he returned his gaze forward.

They walked all the way to the head table, and that's when I noticed who was sitting in place of Mr. Crouch.

"Merlin's Beard," I said, poking Fred in the back. "Percy's up there!"

"You mean Weatherby?" Fred asked, smirking as he waved at Percy. Percy paled and pretended not to notice us. Harry took the seat next to him, looking uncomfortable, and picked up the menu.

"How does this work?" Hermione whispered next to me, holding up the menu. I looked around and realized that all we had were menu's, and that there were no house elves or waiters to bring the food.

"Umm." I said cleverly, looking around to see if anyone else had ordered.

"Pork Chops!" Dumbledore said loudly, and the food magically appeared on his plate.

I looked back at Hermione and smiled. "Like that apparently." She grinned before looking at her menu again. I read it over and realized I only knew a few of the foods. Most of them had weird names like 'Bouillabaisse' 'Foie Gras' 'Garbure' 'Moussaka' and 'Kavarma.' Pork chops were suddenly sounding quite good, and I really don't care that much for them.

"Pork chops." I said clearly, setting the menu down. Fred looked at me out of the corner of his eye, hiding a laugh.

"Pork Chops." He said, while I don't care for pork chops Fred downright dislikes them.

Lee looked up from his menu and leaned forward so we could hear him. "What the bollocks is a bouillabaisse?"

"It's a type of fish soup." Hermione answered, looking up from her menu. "It's French."

"Pork Chops." Lee said with a scrunched up nose. Hermione smiled and let out a really quiet laugh.

"You are all a bunch of culinary chickens." She said, shaking her head. "Foie Gras." Our food appeared, and I looked over to see what in the world 'Foie Gras' was. It was a piece or red meat, liver, I think, and it was on top of something that looked like grass.

I pointed my fork at her food with a big grin. "That," I said, indicating the forest her food was sitting on top of, "is why we ordered pork chops."

"Alright, I'll give you that." She said, "it doesn't look terribly appetizing. It taste wonderful though."

"Maybe," I said, trying not to shudder as I watched her take a bite. "But I think I'll stick with good-ol' pork chops."

"I didn't think you liked them." She said offhandedly. I swallowed my bite and looked at her with raised eyebrows.

"I'm not crazy about them, but how did you know?"

She smiled, a faint blush lighting her cheeks again. "I just notice things like that, I guess." She indicated Angelina and Alicia sitting on the other side of Fred and Lee. "For instance, they hate salads, but always get them because they're full of vitamins and such. Fred hates liver, but you adore it. Lee is nuts about chocolate, but Alicia is allergic so he doesn't eat it when she's near." My eyes widened as she talked and I found myself nodding my head.

"Right on all accounts." I said, not hiding how impressed I was. Most people would never have noticed any of that stuff.

"It's just something I'm good at." She explained. "I'm observant."

"You are indeed observant."

"You are too; you knew all of that stuff as well." I shrugged at her.

"I kinda have to be. It's a skill for pulling pranks and making people laugh. You have to be able to read them to know what will make them laugh, and so you know you're about to take a joke too far."

"I guess that's true. I never really thought about it." She said, sounding intrigued.

"Most people don't." I said with another shrug. "It's another stereo type of pranksters. They think we're loud and stupid."

"Well now that's not true." She said with a frown. "You have to be clever to come up with most of your stuff, not to mention very adept at magic, which you and Fred are."

"Thanks." I said with an easy smile. I took the last bite of my pork chops and leaned back into my seat, letting my eyes scan the room. I was searching for one person in particular, but I didn't admit it to myself. I couldn't find Ron though, at least not at our table. I wasn't looking forward to seeing him. I didn't want to have that confrontation. I wasn't a hundred percent sure he like Hermione, but he'd take it personally regardless.

"If everyone would please stand, we can begin the dance!"

_A/N: Thanks for reading! Now, don't forget to review. If you've taken the time to alert, or especially favorite, this story, please take a little extra time to review it. I love hearing from you guys!_


	10. Chapter 10

**Thanks to Mischief. Mangaged .1998 for betaing this for me :)**

We all pushed our chairs back and stood up, vacating the tables. A moment later they disappeared in a cloud of golden light, leaving the floor clear. A raised platform appeared along the right wall, and the 'Weird Sister's' climbed onto the stage. The lights went out, and I let my gaze drift back to the head table. Harry's eyes had gone comically large as he got to his feet. He must have just realized he'd have to do the first dance. A slow, mournful tune started, and Pavarti dragged him out to the floor.

I couldn't see them anymore because a group of people had moved in front of us, and I could see Hermione craning her neck to try and catch a glimpse of Harry.

"Think he's going to trip?" I whispered in her ear, bending down so she could hear me more clearly.

She turned her head towards me, smiling slightly. "Probably, but he's pretty good at dancing. He's had me practice with him loads of times."

"Is that what he was trying to do? I thought he was trying to show you martial art moves." Her eyes widened and she let out a bubble of laughter. Her hand flew to her mouth and she tried to stifle it, bending her head as her shoulders shook with her repressed laughter. I wish she wouldn't, she had a great laugh, and she kept trying to cover it.

I let my eyes drift back to the center of the room and I noticed some other couples were joining in on the dance. I turned back to Hermione and bowed low at the waist.

"My dearest lady, might I have the honor of this dance?" She stared at me with an upraised eyebrow for a moment, but she was grinning. She nodded her head and accepted my proffered hand. I led her out to the floor, Fred, Lee, Angelina, and Alicia right behind us. I heard a few gasps from the crowd, but I wasn't sure what they were gasping at. I ignored them all and turned towards Hermione. A waltz was playing so I assumed the proper position, thanking McGonagall in my head for teaching me how to dance. At least now I wouldn't make too much of a fool of myself.

I placed my hand lightly on her waist, noting that it fit against my hand perfectly with a little surprise. She placed her small hand on my shoulder and clasped my other hand more tightly. I waited for a second, and then started to lead her to the music. She followed my lead perfectly, not fighting me for control as some birds I'd danced with had.

She was light on her feet, seeming to just move to the soft rhythm of the music with almost no thought. She had definitely been lying earlier when she said she wasn't any good.

I kept my eyes on her, marveling that I hadn't noticed how pretty she was before this year. Her brown eyes were large as they looked up at me, and I couldn't help but stare at them. The song ended and it moved to a slower one.

Hermione looked up at me nervously so I shot her a calming smile, winking before pulling her slightly closer. She moved her hand up my shoulder, closer to my neck. I brought her hand to my chest and she rested it against me. She leaned her head against my chest and I started grinning like a nutter.

Of course, it was only natural that such a nice moment would be ruined.

"You?" Came an incredulous voice from over my shoulder. I turned around slowly, still holding Hermione close to my chest.

"Yes, Ronnie?" I asked, trying not to frown at my little brother. He was standing alone on the dance floor, his eyes wide and full of disbelief.

"You're her date?"

"What does it look like?" I asked, raising my eyebrow. Hermione pulled away from me, her hand making its way to her hip.

"Do you have a problem with that, Ronald?" Ooh-it was not a good sign when she called him Ronald. It usually meant he was about to get yelled at, or hexed.

"George? Your date was George?" he asked again, his mouth falling open.

"Yes, Ron, I think we've established that point." I said in a bored tone.

"Why?" He asked, starting to sound angry.

"Because she is one lovely bird and she said yes." I said, grabbing Hermione's hand again. "Now if you'll excuse us, my date and I were enjoying a dance." I led her away from my brother, cringing on the inside. I hadn't wanted to talk to him about all of this with Hermione around.

We started to dance again, but she was stiffer now, less relaxed than before. I brought my hand down a little bit on her waist, bringing her body closer to mine gently. She let me, and after a moment she rested her head against my chest again, relaxing into me and closing her eyes.

A few songs passed, but I wasn't keeping track of them anymore, I was fully engrossed in the small witch in my arms. I tipped my face downward and brushed my nose against her knotted hair, she smelled like strawberries, which made me smile. One of the products she'd been staring at on aisle thirteen had been strawberry flavored. I probably would have made her nearly die of embarrassment if I mentioned that.

Her hand on my neck traveled up a slight bit, and started to play with my hair where it rested on my collar, causing me to grin even wider.

"Might I have this dance?" I looked up in surprise and saw Harry staring at me. Hermione straightened up and nodded her head, a faint smile lifting her lips.

"Of course." She said quickly, shooting me a quick grin she stepped out of my hold and over to her best mate. I watched her go with a frown, not because I was upset that she was dancing with Harry, I didn't care much about him, she wasn't into him-anyone could see that. I was frowning because now I had no excuse not to go and find Ron.

Bugger.

My eyes scanned the crowd, and I spotted him fairly quickly. He was wearing maroon robes and had bright red hair, not exactly the type to blend into the crowd. I made my way over to where he was sitting on the fountain unnoticed by him. I plopped down onto the seat next to him and he looked over at me in surprise.

"Oh, it's you." He said darkly.

"Yep, it's me." I said cheerily, trying not to shudder at just how hateful he sounded. "I've come to see how you're doing."

"How do you think I'm doing?" He asked harshly. My eyes widened and I had to repress the urge to scoot away. He sighed and shrugged, his anger seeming to melt. "I'm all right."

"You don't look it."

"What'd you expect?" He asked sharply, indicating his clothes.

"You know, that's an easy fix." I said offhandedly, reaching into my robe pocket for my wand. Ron looked over at me with wide eyes.

"It is?"

"Yeah." I said simply, waving my wand over them. The color darkened to black and grew a few inches. Ron's eyes widened as he looked at his robes and a small smile lifted his lips.

"Thanks." He mumbled. I shrugged and looked back at the dance floor. Padma had disappeared into the pile of people, leaving Ron alone again.

"What else is wrong?" I asked, not teasing him for once. I knew perfectly well what was wrong, but I wanted to hear it from him. If he really liked Hermione, I'd stop hanging out with her. As much as liked her, I wouldn't do that to Ron. We were brothers, and no matter how much of an idiot he could be, I'd never purposefully hurt him in that way.

"You don't have to ask, George. I'm not mad at you for taking Hermione. I kind of suspected it was you-you've been hanging out with us a lot more than usual. I figured something was up." My eyes widened in utter surprise as I looked at him.

"You know I'm not completely clueless." He said dryly. "You lot always look so surprised whenever I do something even slightly clever."

"I didn't think anyone had noticed."

"Harry and I both did. I think he plans on talking to you after the ball- you might want to watch out." His eyes drifted to the crowd and I noticed him watching one girl in particular with a slightly wistful air, and it wasn't Fleur or Hermione. It was Lavender Brown.

"Why don't you ask her to dance?" I questioned, guessing his desire. He blushed and shook his head.

"She'd never go with me. She already has a date."

"So? It's a group ball, Ronnie, you can dance with more than one person. Go on, ask her to a dance."

"Think she'd say yes?" He asked quietly.

"I wouldn't, but she doesn't seem to be fully here, so probably." He shot me a glare, his ears reddening a bit. "Go ask her you big git!" I said, pushing him off the fountain. "If you can take on a spider the size of Hagrid's hut, you can ask a girl to dance."

He looked at me with mild surprise, probably wondering how I knew about his spider escapade. He gave me one last glance, and then he stepped out to the dance floor. I watched him walk up to Lavender with a swell of brotherly pride, which promptly dissipated when I noticed another witch walk past him.

Katie.

I hopped up from the fountain and turned away from her, stepping into the crowd of dancers behind me. My eyes started scanning the crowd for a familiar face, and I saw a head of vibrant red hair.

"Ginny!" I exclaimed, stepping up behind her. She turned away from Neville, who she'd been talking to, and smiled at me.

"George?"

"Dance with me." I said, not hiding the pleading look in my eyes. Her gaze drifted behind me and a protective look overtook her features.

"Yes." She said, stepping up to me and taking my hand. I grinned appreciatively and led her away from Neville towards an emptier spot. I started to dance with her slowly, thankful it had moved to a slower beat.

"She really scares you, doesn't she?" Ginny asked after a moment.

"Yeah, she does." I didn't like to admit that I was scared by a girl, but I was. Katie more than freaked me out.

"Have you tried pranking her?"

"Yes, did it right after she put ink in Leann's tea because I took her to Hogsmeade."

"She did what?" Ginny asked, looking shocked.

"I don't get scared easily, Ginny."

"Merlin's beard… That's just creepy."

"No kidding."

"You might need to warn Hermione about that." Ginny said thoughtfully after a moments silence.

"You're right. She probably won't want to go out again if she hears about that." I said darkly.

"Again?" Ginny asked, her voice growing excited. I froze for half a second before nodding my head. I hadn't meant to let that part slip, oops.

"Oh my gosh, you really do like her! I told her so!" She exclaimed, her eyes sparkling.

"Whoa, hold it right there." I said, still dancing in case Katie was watching. "I don't want her to know I'm planning on asking her out until I actually get to ask her."

"Alright, but don't take long!"

I took a breath and looked at my little sister with a small frown. I wanted to ask her a question but I didn't want Hermione to know that I had asked. "If I ask you a question, will you promise not to tell anyone I asked?"

"Sure." She said quickly, probably sensing a juicy secret.

"Does Hermione like me?"

"I'm sure of it. You should have seen how excited she was to go to the ball with you."

The song ended and I saw Ginny's eyes grow wide.

"George," a voice said behind me. I shuddered at the sound and stayed right where I was, refusing to turn around and acknowledge the witch that was calling my name. I felt a hand on my shoulder and heard her say my name again.

"George?" She purred.

That did it, I was not taking this any longer. I was going to get it through her thick head that I didn't like her. She was going to get it, even if I had to write it on something heavy and hit her over the head with it.

I spun around on my heel and looked her straight in the eyes. "What… Do… You… Want?"

"To dance, you're going to ask me, aren't you?"

_A/N: Thanks for reading! Now, don't forget to review. If you've taken the time to alert, or especially favorite, this story, please take a little extra time to review it. It only takes a second and really makes this writer excited :oD I love hearing from you guys!_


	11. Chapter 11

Bloody hell woman!" I exclaimed, throwing my hands in the air in exasperation. "I am not going to ask you to dance! I don't like you! I've said it every way I can think of, but it's not getting through to you. I'm not going to date you, I'm never going to date you. I don't like you and will not like you."

"You don't mean that." She said in a shaky voice.

"I do," I said, sighing slightly. I was making her cry. I hated it when I made a girl cry. Yes, even as creepy and not right in the head as Katie was, she was still a girl and I still felt guilty. Personally, I just found that to be all kinds of wrong.

I took a step back, still looking into her eyes. "Go find your date, Katie." I turned around and delved back into the crowd searching for my own date. Harry had had her for four songs, it was my turn again. Ron had told me he didn't like her, so it was officially time to start blowing her away with my charm.

"George, wait!" I paused, much to my annoyance, and she caught up with me. "George!" I turned around and faced Katie again, letting myself sigh.

"What?"

"At least tell me who it is I'm losing you to." She said wistfully. Several mental wards went off and I shook my head adamantly. That was the reason I had asked Hermione out to the ball to start with, but now I didn't want her to know. Memories of what she had done to my other dates through the years were filling my mind. They'd made me upset then, but the thought of her doing something like that to Hermione made me livid.

"No, I'm not telling you a thing."

"Why?" She asked, flaring up again. "Is it because you don't really have a date?"

"I have a date, Katie."I said in a warning tone. She didn't get the hint.

"I don't believe you." She said simply, stepping towards me again. I took another step back, shuddering when I felt myself hit a wall. Godric's ghost, she had me cornered! "I think you're making it up to make me jealous." She stepped closer to me, and I moved my hand to my pocket, searching for my wand.

"I have no interest in making you jealous, I like my date a whole hell of a lot more than I like you."

"Who is she?" Katie purred, stepping even closer to me. She raised her hand and pressed it against my chest. I pushed the hand away roughly, but it didn't deter her in the slightest.

"George, we're meant to be together, why can't you see that?" she leaned in towards me and I leaned further back, now pressing into the wall. "Stop pretending otherwise, I know you're alone."

"I'm with Hermione, leave me alone!" It slipped out before I could stop myself, darn my talking before thinking self.

"Hermione?" Katie asked, drawing back slightly and looking shocked. "Granger? You're with her?"

I didn't say anything, just staring at her with a frown. She let out a light laugh, and it made my blood boil.

"What are you laughing at? Hermione beat you, I'd rather hang out with her any day than hang out with you."

"You don't have to lower your standards, Georgie, I'll go with you."

"I didn't lower them, you never met them to start with, Katie. This conversation, and friendship, is over." I moved away from the wall, going sideways so as to avoid her. She stepped towards me, her face contorted in pain and denial.

"No." I said, grabbing her arms and stopping her from touching me. "Stay away from me, Katie. If you come near me again I won't hesitate to hex you." She stepped back and I released her arm, continuing to walk away from her. I turned around, and nearly ran for the crowd. I let myself get lost in the people, thanking Merlin I had managed to lose Katie. I scanned the room, looking for Hermione again.

I saw her near the edge of the party, standing next to a surly seeker. Krum had found her. I went to her as quickly as I could, squeezing my way through the dancing crowd of people.

"Herm-own-ninny." He said in his deep voice. "Dance vith me."

"I-uh-I can't." She said, taking a small step back, her eyes wide.

"Vhy? You dance vith others." He said, stepping closer to her. "It's just one dance."

"Because it'll mean something different to you than it'll mean to me." She said, lowering her eyes.

"Oh. That is not true, it is just a dance."

She bit her lip, her eyes darting between his nervously. After an impossible long moment she gave her head the faintest nod. Krum stepped forward with obvious excitement. My heart dropped to my stomach and I took an almost imperceptible step back as she took his hand.

I stepped backwards again, feeling oddly sick as I watched Krum pull Hermione closer to his body. She started to dance with him, moving to the beat of the slow, romantic, tune with a graceful ease that eluded me. He brought his hand down her side, letting it rest low on her waist. She didn't make a move to stop him, staring at him with wide, scared eyes instead.

"You are beautiful, Herm-own-ninny." He whispered, his voice extremely soft.

"Thanks," she whispered back, her eyes on his chest. Everything in me was screaming for me to just step away and leave, but my feet seemed to have taken root to the floor-I couldn't move. I was stuck standing there watching her dance with him.

He pulled her closer still, which marveled me as he already pretty much had her plastered against him, and rested his head against the top of hers. My stomach tightened even more and I felt myself getting angry. "Herm-own-ninny?" He questioned.

"Yes?" Was her quiet reply.

"Vhy did you come vith the Veasley?"

"Because he asked me too." His eyes darkened at that, looking angry. My stomach plummeted even more. Neither of them had yet seen me, but now I was hoping they wouldn't. I couldn't see Hermione's face either, she still had her back to me.

"I asked you to come."

"He asked first." She said. My stomach turned and I felt my hands tighten into fists. I had asked her first. She was _my_ date. Not Ron's, not Krum's, not anyone else's by mine. I had asked her out, I had kept her company, I had snuck her out of Hogwarts, I had fallen for her, and I was not letting anyone else take her.

I was beginning to scare myself.

He moved his hand to her chin, gently lifting it up so she was looking at him. "I should haff asked sooner. I vill not make that mistake again." He said in a determined voice. He leaned his head down and before she could make a move, he pressed a kiss to her lips. My mouth dropped open in shock and I was crossing the dance floor before I was even aware of what I was doing. Hermione pushed against Krum, slapping his cheek. He dropped his arms from her, looking thoroughly surprised, and she ran into the crowd.

I stopped marching towards Krum and changed my course, running after Hermione instead.

"Herm-own-ninny!" Krum yelled, following her into the crowd. I ran faster, my eyes scanning the room quickly, when my I caught sight of a flash of brown and blue. It was Hermione. I stepped towards the corner I had seen her at and made my way through the still dancing crowd. I had seen her at the very back of the room.

I broke through the crowd and saw her ducking behind the refreshment table.

"Herm-own-ninny?" Krum's voice came from somewhere to the left but I beat him to her. She saw me at the same moment she heard his voice, and her eyes grew painfully large.

"George!" She gasped, springing towards me. I grabbed her arms and pulled her towards me, turning to face Krum. I was not leaving Hermione alone any longer, I was already furious with myself for leaving her alone as long as I had. Krum stepped out of the crowd and looked at me with dark eyes.

"Oh, it is you, Veasley." He said, his voice and face surly. I nodded my head, holding Hermione closer to my side.

"Krum." I said by way of acknowledgment. Hermione shifted around in my hold, wrapping her arm around my waist. I'd have been pleasantly surprised by that fact if I wasn't so mad at Krum.

"I vas just going to ask Herm-own-ninny to dance."

"No, you're not dancing with her anymore." I said with a dark voice, holding her even closer, she was trembling, and that simple fact made me so mad that if I had been holding my wand it would have been sparking.

"Vhat makes you think you can decide that?" He asked in his surly tone, stepping closer.

"Because, unlike you, she is my date." I said, stepping towards the crowd behind us.

"Only because you asked first." I tried not to cringe at that. I hoped it wasn't true, I hoped she would have said yes to me regardless. Especially now, I was kind of crazy about the little bookworm.

"No," Hermione said, speaking up for the first time, "I'm not dancing with you, or doing anything else! Please leave me alone."

"There you go." I said, fighting a smirk. I didn't want to irritate Hermione. "Now leave us alone." I stepped back, slipping into the crowd. Hermione followed me, relaxing into me as I led her to the other side of the Great Hall.

"Thanks." She breathed out, moving to stand in front of me. She took my hand in her small one and placed her other hand on my shoulder. I placed my hand on her waist after a moment and she let out a relieved sigh, placing her head against my chest. My lips spread in a goofy grin again and I couldn't stop it from taking over my face.

"Sorry I left you alone with him." I said, bending my head down and brushing my nose against her soft hair.

"That's alright, I lost track of you after I danced with Harry."

"I got caught by Katie."

"Oh," She said, sounding slightly worried. "Was she mad to see you came with me?"

"I didn't tell her, I didn't want to risk her retaliating against you."

"Wasn't that the reason you asked me to come with you though? So that Katie would leave you alone?" I didn't answer that, tightening my grip on her instead. I took a breath and cleared my head, deciding I'd hint at why I hadn't told her.

"I didn't want her to hurt you. I don't care if she keeps stalking me, I'll get it through her head one day that I'm not interested."

"Maybe when that happens you could let me know how you did it so I could let Krum know the same thing." She whispered, tightening her grip on me.

"Maybe we should get them together." I said with a small grin. She let out a quiet laugh, nodding her head against my chest. She brought her hand up my shoulder again, letting it rest on my neck as she ran her fingers through my locks. I closed my eyes at the feel, taking in a deep breath and let myself get lost in the sensation her fingers were creating.

The song changed, getting a much faster, wild beat. I leaned back from her, smiling down as Hermione dropped her arm from my neck and smiled up at me, her perfect teeth flashing at me in a wide smile.

"Well, my dear, I think it's time we start scaring people with our dancing."

_"_Sounds like fun."

_A/N: Thanks for reading! Now, don't forget to review. If you've taken the time to alert, or especially favorite, this story, please take a little extra time to review it. It only takes a second and really makes this writer excited :oD I love hearing from you guys!_


	12. Chapter 12

I put a little space between us and began to move to the beat, in a wild dance. Hermione laughed, her cheeks flushing as she joined me. People were jumping and bouncing all around us, so no one noticed us. I moved closer to her, flailing my arms and making her laugh at my antics. She didn't try to cover it like earlier, and that made me excited. I loved laughter, I thrived off of it, and her trying to stifle hers was killing me. She had a great laugh, light and happy, the way a laugh should be, like all her guards were gone and she couldn't believe she was allowed to be happy. I'd always liked her laugh, I also was always teasing her so that I could hear it. I was now making it a personal goal to see to it that she let it out at least three times a day.

The song ended, much to my annoyance, and a song I didn't recognize started. It was a slow, waltz like song. I flashed Hermione a mischievous grin and decided I'd get a head start on my new mission. I grabbed her hand and placed my other one on her waist. She raised a wary eyebrow and opened her mouth to question me. She never got a chance though because the moment she looked up I gave her a big smile and started to spin her around in a wild circle. She let out a squeal that promptly turned into a laugh as I continued to spin us around wildly.

She let out a deep belly laugh, and it floored me. I dipped her, causing her to squeal again. I pulled her back out and did a dramatic spin, stretching away from her before spinning back into her hold. Others had stopped dancing now, but I didn't even notice their staring. The really amazing thing though, Hermione didn't even notice. She was laughing too hard and smiling too much to care. That had to be the hottest thing I'd ever seen her do.

Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes bright, her pinned up hair was starting to fall out, and her mouth was wide open in a grin, showing off her perfect teeth. She was honestly the most attractive, sexy, thing I had ever seen. She was literally steeling my breath away.

The song stopped and another fast pace song started. I pulled Hermione back to my chest, catching my breath after the fun, but taxing dance. She leaned into me, chuckling quietly as she also caught her breath. The feel of her pressing against me and holding me in a loose embrace so she didn't lose her footing was making me even happier. This was without doubt the sexiest witch I had ever seen, and it was Hermione.

Completely oblivious to the way she was making me feel (and drool) she leaned back from me. She tilted her head to listen to the song and wrinkled her nose in disgust as she gave me a faint frown.

"I can't stand this song. Lavender and Pavarti are always singing it at the top of their lungs in our room."

"I can see why that would drive you Barmy, I've heard them try and sing before." I said, flashing her a big grin. Her frown lessened and she looked up at me with a small smile, making my heart flutter again. I had a momentary internal debate as I looked down at her and then I decided to act. "Come on," I said, offering her my hand, "Let's go see what's going on outside." She stared at my hand for a moment, biting her lip nervously. She let out a breath and took it, giving me a shy smile. I grinned down at her and stepped towards the exit.

There wasn't really anything going on outside, I just wanted to be alone with her. I'd been dancing with her all night, and I couldn't take it anymore. I wanted to be alone with her. No risk of Katie, Krum, or anyone else interrupting us.

"Thanks for taking me out tonight, George." She said quietly, once we were out of the Great Hall.

"Huh?" I asked, I hadn't been paying attention, I'd been watching her walk out of the corner of my eye. I've already mentioned that she had great legs, right?

"Thanks for taking me to the ball, I've had a lot of fun with you."

"I've had a blast too. Not every day I get to take such a pretty bird out." I told her with a wink.

"I don't know about that, but I have had fun." I frowned at that, furrowing my brow as she averted her eyes.

"Don't know about what?" I asked, she didn't look at me, studying something on the far wall instead.

"Your bringing a pretty bird." She said simply. We'd reached the giant wood doors that led outside and I pushed it open before answering her.

"What are you talking about? I brought you, a very pretty bird."

"I'm not that pretty, George. I mean obviously I'm not, Ron didn't even notice I was a girl until two weeks ago." My eyes widened at that. We were outside now, and it was a really beautiful night. There wasn't a cloud in the sky, and at least a million stars were out. Everything was covered in snow, and it was quiet, unlike the Great Hall had been. It was the epitome of romance, and she was almost in tears because she thought she wasn't pretty. Godric's ghost, Ron had really messed her up with that stupid, thoughtless comment.

"Yeah, well Ron isn't all that bright, is he?" I asked. She lowered her eyes, still refusing to meet my eyes. "It's quite clear, and I've known for a while, that you are indeed a girl-and a right attractive one at that." I gave her a wink, openingly ogling her.

"Don't joke about that." She said, her voice sad.

"What?" I asked, stopping and turning towards her fully. "You think I'm joking? I'm serious! You are definitely a girl, just because Ron didn't notice doesn't mean no one else did. You are beautiful, Merlin-have you seen yourself tonight? You're flat out breathtaking." She was still not looking at me, still not believing me.

Clearly my plan to win Hermione Granger was going to have to move a bit faster. I was going to have to let her see just what I saw every time she looked at me.

"You've got eyes the color of chocolate, and they get the most adorable sparkle when you laugh." She blushed and lowered her eyes, I didn't let her get away with it. I put my hand under her chin and I pushed it up gently, keeping her eyes on me. "Your laugh is like liquid joy, intoxicating and filling." She blushed even more, her eyes growing slightly wider. "You have a great body, even if you insist on hiding it under voluminous robes."

"I don't hide-" I stopped her by placing a finger on her lips, still smiling down at her. Her lips was extremely soft and warm under my finger and I felt myself leaning towards her.

"I wasn't finished." I whispered, leaning even closer to her. I was having to hold myself back with everything I had not to just press a kiss to her lips. "You're beautiful, Hermione. I've gotten to rather like you, and I'd love to be allowed to take you out on another date." I leaned back slightly, just enough so that I could look her in the eyes clearly.

She blinked twice, her brown eyes wide with surprise. "What?"

"Will you, Hermione, go out with me on a real date?" She blinked again, moving her mouth wordlessly.

"I-yes, yes, George, I will." I beamed down at her, hardly daring to believe my ears. She'd said yes, Hermione said yes to a date with me!

I acted on instinct next, not pausing, not thinking, not analyzing. I bent down and closed the small space between us, pressing a kiss to her lips.

Now, I had been thinking about kissing her for awhile, and I had been eagerly awaiting it. This, however, was not living up to my expectations at all, and that was because Hermione was still frozen in complete shock beneath my lips. Hers were warm, soft, and pleasant against mine, but they were frozen.

Just when I was about to give the whole thing up and apologize I felt her move and shyly start to kiss me back. My lips spread in a grin and I brought my hands down from her chin, one dropping to her waist to pull her closer, the other moving to cup her cheek. She brought her hands up to my neck, pulling me closer to her as well as she deepened the kiss.

Expectations achieved and bested.

She broke it a moment later, a pretty flush coloring her cheeks as she peered up at me through her lashes. I was grinning like a nutter again, and I couldn't have cared less about it.

Hermione was going out with me. _Me_, not Ron, not Krum, me.

Before either of us could say anything more a loud clang sounded from Hogwarts. It was the clock striking midnight-the end of the ball.

"Time to turn back into a pumpkin." Hermione whispered, probably thinking I wouldn't hear her.

"A pumpkin?" I asked, offering her my arm. She took it, blushing prettily as she looked at me.

"You weren't supposed to hear that."

"I don't get it."

"It's a muggle fairy tale-Cinderella. She's a servant girl and her fairy god mother enchants her so that she can go to the prince's ball. She makes her a beautiful dress, and a chariot to escort her, but at midnight it would all go back to the way it was-back to a pumpkin."

"Did she get the prince?"

"Yes," She said smiling slightly.

"Sounds like she did alright."

"Yes." She said, not quite meeting my eyes. I think she was worried I wouldn't want to go back to her when she wasn't dressed up like this for the ball. I decided to quell that silly fear right then.

"So, do you mind me picking you up at five?"

"Huh?" She asked, looking over at me curiously.

"For our date, is five too early?" Her eyes brightened and she smiled happily.

"No, it's fine."

We made our way back into the common room, and surprisingly we didn't see anyone on our way. Not that I would have noticed, I was on cloud nine.

We reached the portrait hole again and I smiled at the sleepy Fat Lady.

"Fairy Lights."

"If you say so." She murmured sleepily. She swung open and I turned towards Hermione. I stepped towards her and scooped her up; she let out a laugh, but didn't push me away this time. I stepped over the hole and into the empty common room, careful not to jostle or drop her. I looked down at her, smiling when I saw she was fighting a laugh and acted without thinking again. I bent my head down and pressed a kiss to her lips. She kissed back, bringing her hands up my shoulders to rest around my neck. She deepened it first, much to my delight. I swept my tongue against her lips, silently asking for admittance, and she cracked them open-

"Uhem." We broke apart abruptly and I spun around, still holding Hermione. Harry was standing there, frowning fiercely at me.

_"I didn't think anyone had noticed."_

_"Harry and I both did. I think he plans on talking to you after the ball- you might want to watch out."_

* * *

><p><em>AN: Okay, I'm thinking of continuing this story until the end of the 4th year. I'm definitely going through the rest of the winter break, but I was curious if you would all keep reading it if I kept it going that long. _

_Also, if I do keep it going that long, what sort of things would you all like to see happen? It can deal with any of the characters, but bear in mind it has to be something George would see, because it's from his point of view._

_Thanks for all the reviews and keep them coming! You guys are all the best._


	13. Chapter 13

_"I didn't think anyone had noticed."_

_"Harry and I both did. I think he plans on talking to you after the ball- you might want to watch out."_

My conversation earlier with Ron came flooding back to me and I couldn't help the grin that lifted my lips as I realized Harry was actually trying to intimidate me.

I gently set Hermione down on the ground and noted that she shot a not too subtle glare at Harry. "Thanks for the dance, George." She said softly, turning back towards me.

"Thank you," I whispered back, running my hand up her arm. "I'll pick you up at five sharp-and I'll get the check, I'm going to spoil you rotten." She grinned, a faint blush coloring her cheeks again. "Harry," I said, not taking my eyes off Hermione's, "turn around." He glared at me for a moment, but obliged. I grinned down at a now definitely blushing Hermione and pressed a tender kiss to her lips. I broke it a moment later and felt myself beam at how excited she looked.

"See you tomorrow." She said before turning and racing to her dorm. I watched her leave with a big smile, feeling as though I were floating. Tonight had turned out far better than I could have hoped. It had taken forever, but I'd gotten to ask her out and I'd gotten several kisses. I couldn't have had a better night.

"Uhem." Harry said again, I almost laughed this time. I turned back to him, noting that he now had his arms crossed and was tapping his foot impatiently.

"Yes?" I asked, smiling in amusement as he tried to look intimidating. I might not have been tall as Ron, but I still had a few inches on him. It didn't help that I had known Harry since he was a bumbling first year. I'd seen him goof up and act silly far too many times to find him even remotely scary.

"It's about Hermione." He said, his voice low and threatening.

"What about her?" I asked, knowing where this was going and still finding it unbelievably funny. He was really trying to pull the big brother act on me.

"She's my very best mate." He said by way of explanation. "What are you playing at?"

"I'm not 'playing' at anything. I genuinely like her." I told him, no longer smiling. Why would he assume I was joking? Had I ever played a prank like that? I was nowhere near that mean, and it was kind of hurtful to think he could even think that of me. I'd made it abundantly clear that I was interested in Hermione. He shouldn't have any trouble telling I liked her.

"She's my very best mate, and I don't like the idea of you using her. So if that's what you've got in mind, you'd best stop right this minute."

"I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that." I said, my own tone darkening. "For the sake of our friendship I'm going to pretend you didn't accuse me of something so cruel." He paled slightly, looking mildly ashamed.

"Be careful." He warned, still in his threatening tone. "If you hurt her in any way, you'll have me to deal with."

I had to fight with everything I had not to laugh at that. The idea of scrawny Harry trying to hex me was hilarious. He wouldn't stand a chance against me, and he wasn't taking into account the fact that I'd also have Fred. He looked so sincere though! He genuinely thought he could take me down.

"Don't worry, Potter.' I said, flashing him a quick grin, deciding to forget what he'd accused me of. He loved Hermione as a brother, it was bound to make him say stupid things. I had the same problem with Ginny. "I have no intention of hurting Hermione. Besides, we both know she is more than capable of hexing me herself if I make her the least bit annoyed." His eyes brightened slightly and he looked like he was fighting a smile. His eyes grew distant and it looked like he was reliving a good memory.

"Yeah, she also has a mean right hook." He said reminiscently.

"What?" Had he seen her hit someone? I wonder who it was…

"Malfoy." He said by way of explanation. "Last year he was spying on Hagrid as Buckbeak was about to get executed and she got really pissed with him. She hit him hard, almost broke his nose." He said, his tone lighting as he spoke. I was grinning myself, unable to believe that Hermione would slug someone. That would have been a blast to see-it made her that much more hot.

He let out a small laugh and then seemed to realize that I was still in the room, and remember what we had been talking about. He forced a frown again, but his eyes were still sparkling. "Now, be good to her. She may be able to protect herself, but I'll come for you after she's done. She's my best friend, and I don't want her hurt."

"Fair enough, Potter." I said, nodding my head. I still had no intention of hurting Hermione, but it was cool knowing she had someone other than me to look out for her. Heck, she had a triwizard champion, even if he was scrawny.

He nodded his head as well and stepped past me. I followed him to our dorms, continuing to the sixth years.

I quietly opened the door and slipped into the dark room, expecting Fred and Lee to already be asleep, it was well past one now. 'Mione and I had taken our own sweet time in getting back to the common room, and I'd had to stay up even later to chat with Harry. I was now quite tired, but I was silly excited as well.

"You're extremely late." I jumped, spinning around and grabbing my wand out of my dress robes. Fred was sitting up in his bed, his fingers steepled together as he looked at me with a serious expression.

I lowered my wand and couldn't help the proud smirk that lifted my lips. "A little."

"Have fun?" Fred asked, no longer fighting his own grin. I nodded my head, making my way across the room to my own bed. I reached for my tie and began to loosen it, thanking Merlin that I could finally take the blasted thing off.

"Yes, I most definitely did have fun." I said smugly, tossing my tie into the floor, my robe following it down in short order. "How about you?"

"A blast. Angie's great." I grinned at him, pulling my slacks off as I grabbed for my pajamas.

"And Lee?"

"I think he had fun. He hit the sack the minute we got back. Alicia must have worn him out."

"So..." He said after a moments silence. I grinned, finishing pulling on my pajama's. He was dying to know what had happened, but he didn't want to have to ask. I entertained the idea of not telling him for a moment, but I was far too excited to keep it bottled in.

"Okay, so right after we started dancing Ron showed up, and he was _mad._" Fred grimaced, looking worried for me. "I told him to bugger off, and we danced for a little while longer. Harry came and asked to dance with 'Mione so we split up. I went to talk with Ron, and he told me he was okay with me and 'Mione." Fred grinned at that, looking immensely relieved

"Well that's good. I saw him dancing with Lavender-did you have something to do with that?"

"Yeah, I pushed him to ask her… Right after he left me Katie appeared."

"Bugger, you were having a rough night." Fred said, frowning sympathetically at the mention of Katie.

"Yeah, I know. I told her off, I'm hoping she finally got the hint-and went to find 'Mione again." This part was the part I really wanted to tell him. We needed to think of something good to do to Krum for what he'd done. "I found her with Krum, he made her dance with him and then kissed her. She slapped him and I told him off as well. I led her outside after that and the rest of the evening went by much more enjoyable." I said, waggling my eyebrows suggestively. His face broke out in a grin as he got the message.

"Awesome!"

"Would you two pipe down? I'm trying to sleep over here!" I grinned at Fred, grabbing my pillow at the same time as him. We both turned in our beds and tossed them at Lee, laughing as they hit him. He yelped and fell out of his bed, grabbing a pillow up.

"You do know this is war?" He asked, hopping up on his bed and holding his pillow in the air ready for an attack. Fred and I grinned, already standing with our own pillows held aloft.

"Attack!" I yelled, and the war began.

-o-O-o-

"Georgie! Wakey Wakey!" I groaned at the extremely over exuberant voice echoing in my ear and pulled my blanket tighter around my shoulder.

"Not now, Freddie. Five more minutes…" I mumbled into my pillow, drifting back to sleep.

"None of that, Georgie, it's morning!" I groaned and put my pillow over my head. Fred laughed and then ripped my blanket from me, leaving me to yelp at the feel of the cold morning air washing over my body.

"Fred!" I curled up into a ball in a vain attempt to preserve my body heat. I hadn't had anywhere near enough sleep. It had been well after three before we had retired to bed. A quick peak at my alarm clock showed it was only eight, far too early for me.

"Come on, George, breakfast is served and we've got to get started on planning our mayhem!" I groaned at that, curling up tighter. Fred tsked at my reaction and grabbed my shoulders, giving me a shake.

"Come on, Brother'O-Mine. We have a new day to tackle!" He pushed me again but I just moaned. "Come on, Georgie, there are some good reasons to get up early." I didn't respond so he tried a different tactic. He leaned down next to my head and whisper three words. "Hermione is waiting." I cracked open a tired eye and glared at him as I pushed myself up.

"That," I said, poking him in the chest to reiterate my point, "Was a low blow." He grinned completely unashamed.

"It worked."

I pulled a sweater over my head and pulled on a pair of slacks. A quick comb through my crazy locks and I was ready for an extremely early breakfast. Fred watched me dress with an air of great amusement that was rather annoying.

"What?" I finally asked as we headed for the common room.

"You, you've gotten it bad and you haven't even gone out yet." I grunted my head at that, shaking it and then pointing a glare at him.

"What's gotten you so chipper anyway? A peppy potion?" He laughed at that shaking his head as we descended the stairs.

"Nope, Angelina. She's waiting for me as well. And," he said, clapping my back, "She's already given me a wake up present." I raised and eyebrow and shook my head as we stepped off the last step. My eyes scanned the room quickly and I saw Hermione perched on the edge of a chair with a heavy, dusty, tome in her lap. A grin lifted my lip and I crossed the room quickly and quietly, sneaking up behind her. I leaned over her and grabbed the book, lifting it off her lap and over her head.

"What?" She questioned before she looked up and saw me. A big grin lifted her lips before she reached for her book. I held it up high and she got up from her chair to try and grab it. She stretched up, leaning into me in an attempt to grab the book. For the first time in my life I was thrilled with my height. I've always wanted to be taller- my baby brother is a good five inches taller than me-but right now, I was the perfect height. If I had been a few inches taller she wouldn't have been trying to get the book this way, and I wouldn't get the joy of having her press her body into me in an attempt to reach it.

Her face was right next to mine, but she didn't notice because her eyes were focused on the book. Feeling light and happy I leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her lips. She dropped her hands from the air and wrapped them around me instead.

Fred was right, there were a few good reasons to get up early.

* * *

><p><em>AN: Okay, I'm still thinking about continuing this story until the end of the 4th year. I'm definitely going through the rest of the winter break, but I was curious if you would all keep reading it if I kept it going that long. _

_Also, if I do keep it going that long, what sort of things would you all like to see happen? It can deal with any of the characters, but bear in mind it has to be something George would see, because it's from his point of view._

_Thanks for all the reviews and keep them coming! You guys are all the best._


	14. Chapter 14

"You have to be kidding, you seriously think the Canon's will win this match? They're playing the Bulgarians." Seamus said, his voice filled with mirth at the idea of the Chudley Canon's actually winning something.

"Yeah, but Krum's not with them." Ron said with a gleam in his eye. I almost choked on my pumpkin juice but managed to mask the fact. I wish Krum would go help his team out, I wouldn't have to deal with the fact that he kept staring at Hermione then. She was sitting across from me, next to Harry, and she was still reading that book from earlier.

Fred glanced at me out of the corner of his eye, a slightly worried look in his eyes. I grunted at his questioning gaze, letting him know I was alright. I swallowed the pumpkin juice and grabbed another spoonful of my vegetable soup. Lee looked up from where he had seemed to be snoozing in his soup and watched as Draco strolled into the room. A grin lifted my lips as I watched him make his way to the Slytherin table. Fred and I had spent most of the morning discussing ways of getting the filthy little bludger back for what he had said to Hermione. We had a doozy of a plan, and it was going to be put into work in about five minutes.

Lee looked over at me from across the table at the same time as Fred. "You two still going on with plan ferret?" I nodded my head with Fred, equally mischievous smiles spreading cross our faces.

"Ferret?" Ron and Harry questioned together, looking over at us with equal disbelief on their facses.

"Yes, ferret." Fred said.

"Malfoy?" Ron questioned, a wicked grin working its way up his lips. "You're going to prank Malfoy?"

"I don't know what made you think of that." I said, winking at him. Harry grinned beside him, shooting a quick glance at an oblivious Hermione. His eyes softened and he turned back towards me and Fred.

"Good luck with that then." He said, going back at his soup. I glanced at Fred and he gave an almost imperceptible nod of his head. I reached into my robe pocket and pulled out a small vial filled with a blood red liquid. I set it next to my bowl and Fred pointed his wand at it very subtly. It shot up in the air faster than anyone could see it, and hovered about twenty meters over our heads, disappearing into the simulated clouds. A moment later it reappeared over the Slytherins table, slowly drifting down until it was behind Malfoy.

I took over, pointing my wand at the vial. I murmured the spell, and then in a move faster than even I could see, the vial shot in front of Malfoy and dissolved into his goblet of pumpkin juice, completely unnoticed by him.

Stage one of plan complete.

Fred and I both turned back around in our seat and shot Lee a grin. I clasped Fred's hand under the table and shook it, feeling extremely happy that the first person on our list of prankee's was about to be hit.

Ron, Harry, and Seamus, were all watching the Slytherins table eagerly, unashamedly waiting for something to happen.

"I don't think I'd be so curious for another, what, ten minutes?" I said, questioning Fred. He tilted his head, looking thoughtful.

"Yeah, that sounds about right." He said after a moment. Ron, Harry, and Seamus just seemed to grow even more excited at that news.

"What will take about ten minutes?" Hermione asked, emerging from her book for the first time since lunch started. I flashed her a disarming smile, not sure how she'd react to what we had done.

"Nothing, just a suggestion to be checking out all ferrets in about that amount of time." I said casually. She lifted an eyebrow, looking torn between confusion and amusement.

"What all has everyone got planned for today?" Seamus asked after a moment.

"Nothing much," Harry said, Ron nodded his head in agreement. Hermione shot them both a look with narrowed eyes, no doubt having something in mind that they could both work on. Probably the egg, Hermione had nearly blown up on Harry when she'd figured out he _still_ hadn't figured it out. I really couldn't blame her, that was almost too much for even me, and I was almost a professional procrastinators.

"How about your homework?" She questioned, her tone threatening to take on the deadly quality it always did when she was going to lecture them.

"Ermynee' Ron said, spraying bits of his food across the table onto Fred who jumped back and gave Ron a disgusted glare. "We ave all week!"

"You haven't finished?" I asked, sounding mildly surprised.

"Like you have." Ron said, finally swallowing his food.

"Actually," I started.

"We have." Fred finished, frowning at Ron as he wiped little bits of food off his plate. Hermione looked over at me with wide eyes for a moment, almost like she couldn't believe what I'd said.

"We always finish our holiday homework early, it gives us lots of time for fun. It's also a great cure for insomnia." I explained, getting caught on Hermione's eyes. After a moment a small grin broke out across her lips, but not her typical one, it was more… wanton. Whatever adjective you'd use to describe it, it was making me hot. I swallowed the rest of my soup, holding her chocolate eyes with mine and gave my head a quick jerk to the left, indicating I wanted to leave. She nodded her head, the smile growing as she stared at me. I pushed my bowl away, watching with wide eyes as she stood up and walked out of the hall. I swung my legs off of the bench and stood up, dropping my napkin on the table before heading out of the Great Hall.

No one else was out in the hall, and it was a good thing, because the moment I stepped through the door a small hand caught mine and pulled me towards a secluded corridor. Hermione dragged me away, stopping when we were behind a knight statue. She looked up at me with her wide, dark eyes, and I felt myself leaning down before I even thought.

She leaned up towards me and met my lips halfway, pressing an unsure kiss to my lips. We'd kissed each other a few more times since last night, but she still didn't seem like she was a hundred percent sure on what to do. It was funny too, because she was a bloody good kisser.

I brought my arms around her, resting them on her waist and bringing her body slowly nearer to my own. I wanted to press her against me and smother her in a passionate kiss, but I really didn't want to scare her off. So, I was extremely surprised when she took the initiative and deepened the kiss, bringing her arms up around my neck and bringing us closer together. I moaned into her mouth when I felt her rub against me. She broke the kiss off, breathing heavily and looking pleasantly surprised.

"Not that I'm not thrilled," I said quietly, trying to get my breath back and not sound too husky. It was not working too well, "but what was that for?"

"I-" She bit her lip, looking extremely embarrassed and lowered her eyes. "I couldn't help myself." She murmured.

"Okay, don't ever worry about that, I'm thrilled to snog you at any time. Anywhere or way either." I said, grinning and wiggling my eyebrows suggestively. She grinned shyly, looking up at me through her lashes. I still had my arms wrapped around her, and I could tell that she was still embarrassed, so I tightened my grip on her. She tensed up for a moment, but quickly relaxed, leaning into me a little harder.

"The idea of you finishing your homework…" She trailed off, still having trouble articulating what she was thinking.

"You liked that?" I asked, grinning despite myself. She nodded her head, still not looking up at me.

"Then I'll go find you any time I finish my homework-and that's wonderful incentive to do it more often." I told her, lifting her chin up with a finger. She grinned softly, her eyes sparkling as she looked at me. I leaned towards her again, and she leaned up towards me as well.

"AHH!" We sprung apart, turning towards the great hall together. I pulled her out from behind the statue, momentarily lamenting the fact that our little snog fest was over, before stepping towards the entrance to the great hall. She was right behind me, and a moment later we were in the great hall again.

A bunch of Slytherins were standing, looking at the table with an obvious sense of disgust. A lot of screams were coming from the girls, and Crabbed and Goyle were staring at where Draco had been. In his seat, where he should have been, was an extremely big, white, ferret.

My eyes scanned the Gryffindor table, coming to rest on Fred. His eyes shot towards mine, almost as if he knew where I was on instinct, and he gave me a very subtle thumbs up. Ron and Harry were both doubled over with laughter as Malfoy began to make chittering noises, running up and down the bench in disarray.

Hermione let out a strange squeak, and I looked over at her. She had wide eyes, and had one hand over her mouth, trying in utter vain not to laugh.

I loved the look her eyes got when she was trying not to let a laugh out, as though they were going to burst from excitement and joy.

"Did you and Fred?" She asked with a grin. I nodded my head, grinning myself. I gripped her hand tighter in my own and pulled her away from the doors, back towards the knight statue. She let me pull her, looking at me with an upraised eyebrow. I pulled her back to my chest and gave her a sheepish grin.

"You like studying? Well I like laughter."

-o-O-o-

Ten minutes till five. My hair was still a mess but at least I had nicer robes on. I hadn't fully decided on where to take her tonight, I had considered Madame Puddyfoots, but I hated the stuffiness of it. I really wanted her to have fun also. I'd talked to Harry about some ideas, and I was thinking of taking her to a muggle part of London.

It was risky, mainly because I'd have no idea of where things were, but she'd probably really enjoy it.

I finished dragging a comb through my shaggy locks and moved them out of my eyes. They weren't great, but I was now out of time. I shook my head, making my hair rest back the way it liked to, and stepped away from the mirror. I tossed my comb on my bed and grabbed my wallet. I had ten galleons on me, that should be enough to have a nice night…

I left my dorm, noting that the Common room was once again bustling with people. I scanned the room quickly and noted happily that Hermione wasn't here yet. I'd hate to have kept her waiting.

I sat down on a cushion that was facing the steps to the girls dorm. Fred and Lee were out with their girls, so I was alone waiting for Hermione. Not that I minded, Fred probably would have teased me relentlessly for how long I took on my hair. Not that it had really helped, it still hung in my eyes.

I let my eyes drift back to the girls dorm and let out a sigh. It was only a week until school started again. I wouldn't get to see much of Hermione after school started again. she'd probably bury herself back in her books. I'd also lose my reason to follow her everywhere, Harry and Ron could watch her back for her.

Darn it.

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><p><em>AN: Thanks for all the wonderful__ reviews and keep them coming! You guys are all the best and I'm having a blast with this story._


	15. Chapter 15

I let out another sigh and looked back up at the dormitory, and promptly forgot why I was sad. Hermione was stepping out of her room. She had on a pair of muggle jeans and a dark green sweater underneath a black robe. Her hair was pulled back in a plait with a few curls left to frame her face.

I hopped up from my chair and stepped towards her, no doubt grinning like a nutter once again.

"Hermione!" I called, gaining her attention as she stepped down the stairs. Her eyes found me and a grin lifted her lips.

"Ready for our date? You look amazing by the way." I said, offering her my arm. She grinned, blushing prettily and accepting my arm.

"Ready and willing." She said with a small grin, following my lead as I took her outside of the Common Room. "Where are we going?"

"Sort of a surprise," I answered quickly, stopping in front of the statue that would lead us to Hogsmeade. "But we need to do a bit of magic first before we leave the castle." Neither of us were of age yet so we couldn't do anything outside of Hogwarts. Well, we could, but we'd get a warning and I really couldn't afford anymore of those.

"What do we need to do?" She asked curiously. I flashed her a mischivieous grin, making her look nervous. I was just teasing her, we weren't going to do anything that would get us in trouble.

"Just make our robes look more like what muggles would wear. Also, we might want a warming charm."

She nodded her head and raised her wand, pointing it at my robe with a determined air. She murmured spells over it, and it started to shorten, turning thicker and warmer. A moment later I was left with a black, what did she call it? Tenchcoat? Trencolt? Whatever it was, it looked neat and was really warm-perfect for what I was planning. She ran her wand over her own robe and it also shortened, reaching to her waist now instead of her ankles. It turned white, and slightly thicker, growing a white fur collar around the top and buttoning up.

"Awesome!" I said, checking out my new winter wear. She grinned at my eagerness, looking comfortable in hers. I raised my wand and pointed it at her, casting the warming charm Oliver had taught the team. It would warm you up if it felt your body temperature start to drop, but only then so that you didn't get over heated. "Well," I said, grinning at her again, "If you're ready, we can get going." I reached into my pocket and pointed my wand at my galleons discreetly, I felt them flash warm, and then turn into muggle money.

"I'm ready." She said, looking excited. I offered her my arm and she took it, blushing prettily. I said the password for the statue and it moved aside, letting us into the secret passage.

The walk seemed shorter than it had last time we'd gone this way. It could be that Hermione was less uncomfortable, or maybe it was because I was holding her hand… Either way, it was fun. We made it outside the passage to the dark, quiet, streets of Hogsmeade.

"Now what?" Hermione whispered quietly, looking around the streets slightly uneasily. I grinned down at her, holding her hand tighter in my own and lightly bumping her shoulder.

"Don't worry, Hermione, I've got a plan. We're traveling magic style." I raised my wand and paused, turning my head towards her with a grin. "It's legal as well." She grinned shyly at that, looking grateful. I held my wand aloft in the pose that Fred and I had mastered over the years of secretly sneaking out, and a moment later I heard the light horn that meant the bus was coming. I pulled Hermione back right at the moment the bus streaked up beside us. She let out a quiet shriek, almost falling over. I grabbed her before she could though, and helped straighten her. She looked at me with wide eyes, her mouth falling open in a completely shocked 'o.'

"Hey, Stan!" I called, stepping forward with Hermione. He waved his greeting, opening the door for us. Hermione was hanging back, looking very unsure. "Hermione," I said, stepping aside and letting her on first. "Welcome to the one and only, Knight Bus." Her eyes widened at that before a grin broke out across her face. She must have heard Harry talk about his little escapade on it last year. Good, at least I wouldn't have to try and figure out how to explain what this was. I stepped onto the bus behind her, handing Stan a slip of paper with our destination written on it. He read it and nodded his head, a grin lifting up his lips.

We both took a seat at the back of the bus, I took the one on the outside because the one on the inside was more secure. Once we were seated I wrapped my arm around Hermione, noting she tensed up with a bit of surprise. "You're going to want to hang on tight, love." I said with a grin. She nodded her head, her eyes widening as the door shut. I gripped the seat, hoping we took a few sharp turns, and turned my head to look at Hermione. She met my eyes, and promptly let out a yelp as the bus charged forward with a jolt. She swung into me as we took a hard right, and I held her tight against my side, loving the feeling of having her hold onto me and press her soft body into mine.

This was officially my new favorite way of traveling. Well, on dates anyway.

Hermione never said a word the entire trip, choosing to stay pressed into my side instead. After a few minutes though I could feel her body relax, and I could hear her let out a couple of quiet laughs. Five minutes after we boarded the crazy bus, we had arrived at the British Museum.

"Our evening awaits." I told her, stepping away from my seat and bowing gallantly. She grinned, standing up and following me out of the bus. She looked up and saw where we were at, and her face broke out in a huge grin.

"George," She said breathlessly, a look of awe in her eyes. "This is incredible!" I grinned more widely, thrilled to see her so excited. I'd have to remember to thank Harry later.

"I've never been here before, but, according to Harry, you hang out here during the summer, so, what would you suggest seeing?" I asked casually, stepping up to the tall building and feeling slightly out of place.

"We have to see the Rosetta Stone," She said quickly, her eyes lighting up excitedly. "The Parthenon exhibit, and they have a special exhibit on Egyptian art that will only be here until spring…" She looked over at me, seeming to come back down from the high seeing the museum had caused her to go on.

"Do you really want to see any of that?" She asked, frowning slightly and looking embarrassed.

"Yes," I answered quickly, holding the museum's door open. "It sounds neat. I have no idea what a Rosetta stone is, but I love Egypt." It was true, I'd had a blast when we'd gone to visit Bill there last year. Besides, tonight was about making sure Hermione had fun, not me.

She led me inside, practically bursting with excitement as she looked around at the objects. Turns out the Rosetta stone is just that, a giant stone that apparently was the key to learning the Egyptian language. (At least, I think that's what she said, she was talking rather quickly.) The Parthenon exhibit consisted mainly of statues of naked men (not very realistic either) and we didn't get a chance to stop by the Egyptian exhibit because the museum closed at seven.

I had a terrific time, and I never would have guessed it. She was excited the entire trip, holding my hand and leading me all over the place, chatting excitedly all the while. Still, I was glad to get out of the museum, I was starving.

"That was wonderful!" Hermione exclaimed, glowing with excitement. "Did you see the book on display in the entrance?"

"Huh?" I asked, blinking stupidly. I had been watching her and not listening. She looked really pretty in the moonlight and in the snow covered terrain. Her hair had become even more loose, covering most of her face in her bushy curls. I used to think it was funny, but it really suited her brilliantly. I liked it this way better than the smoothed out way it was last night. She had a slight flush to her cheeks and she was glowing, literally, I could see her practically sparkling with magic and happiness.

"The book in the entrance, it was over a thousand years old!" She said, her eyes wide.

"Really? They had books back then?"

She shook her head, fighting a laugh at my overdone shocked look. At least she didn't suspect what I was thinking. I grinned at her again and offered her my arm. She took it with a shy smile. "Now, it's time for dinner. What do you feel like? Italian? Hispanic? Chinese? Comfort food?"

"Anything's fine with me." We'd been walking aimlessly down the street, and we were now on the edge of a rather pretty park. A new plan came to my mind, and I decided we'd do something completely different.

"Do you like hot dogs and popcorn?" I asked, glancing at a cart on the edge of the park.

"I love them." She said, looking over at the same thing with a smile.

"Hot dogs and popcorn it is then." We walked over to the food cart and ordered a couple of hot dogs and a bag of popcorn apiece. I gave some muggle cash (Hermione told me how much to give discreetly.) and we walked out towards the park.

"These are really good." I said, sounding more surprised than I probably should have. Hermione nodded her head in agreement, taking a bite of her own dog.

"So, what's your favorite class at Hogwarts?" I asked after a moments silence.

"Transfiguration." She said quickly, her eyes lighting up again. "I love changing something into something completely different." She paused, chewing a piece of popcorn thoughtfully. "what about you? What's your favorite?"

"Charms all the way." I answered, grinning again.

"What's your favorite hobby?" She asked, popping another piece of popcorn into her mouth. I thought for a moment and then grinned at her. "Pranking first, but if that doesn't count, then flying."

"I suspected that would be your answer."

"What about you? What's your favorite hobby?" she smiled, blushing slightly before answering.

"Reading."

"I suspected that would be your answer." I told her grinning to let her know I wasn't judging her. "What's your favorite food?"

"Strawberry ice cream." She said with a grin. I snorted at that. "What?" She asked, scrunching her face up in curiosity.

"I can't look at or hear about strawberries without remembering our little escapade in aisle thirteen." Her eyes widened and her cheeks flushed in an adorable blush.

"Oh," She whispered, dropping her eyes as her face grew even more pink. "Uhm, what is your favorite food?" She asked, obviously trying to change the subject, I decided to let her.

"Jelly slugs."

"You really like them, don't you?" She said, grinning at me and meeting my eyes again. Her cheeks were still pink though.

"I love them. We never had much money for things like candy when I was growing up, but mum and dad would always get me a pack for my birthday and Christmas. They always bring back good memories for me-plus, they are bloody good."

She laughed at that, and the sound of it rang around the empty park.

We talked for a while longer, learning a lot about each other. Contrary to how she came across, she was actually a great conversationalist. She was shy at first, but I was managing to break through her outer shell.

Once I finished my food and she had too I realized what time it was. It was honestly getting really late-we probably needed to be heading back. I was a little sad our date was over, but we still had another week before school started. I'd have plenty of time to see her, and I'd make sure and use it.

That was the plan anyway, and as I've already mentioned, my plans rarely turn out the way I plan them.

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><p><em>AN: Thanks for all the wonderful__ reviews and keep them coming! You guys are all the best and I'm having a blast with this story._


	16. Chapter 16

That week passed surprisingly quickly, and it was Friday again before I knew it, which meant there were only two more days until school started again.

Bummer.

I hadn't gotten a chance to go back out with Hermione, but I had gotten to spend some almost alone time with her. (We were in the library, so there were other people there, but we sat alone. You know you're in an overcrowded place when that's considered solitary. ) Fred and Lee were in our 'lab' working on a new product, puking pastilles. They told me they'd be waiting for me, but I'd kindly declined the offer. I had other plans in mind.

I dumped my bag onto the sofa , scanning the common room for my bushy haired girl. I didn't see her at first, but then I caught sight of a little bit of her hair behind a cushy chair in front of the fire. I strode up to her eagerly, grinning mischievously despite my efforts to mask it. I creeped up behind her chair and peeked over it to see her reading a thick tome. She had the tip of a quill in her mouth, her brow furrowed in thought.

I lifted my hands over the back of the chair, bringing them down slowly. She didn't catch on, so I wrapped my hands around her eyes with a wide grin. She tensed up, and then let out a quiet giggle, barely hearable.

"Guess who!" I said cheerily. She put her hand on her chin thoughtfully, the tip of her finger brushing my own.

"Fred?" She questioned, spoiling her joke by laughing uncontrollably. I moved around to the front of her chair, kneeling in front of her before removing my hands.

"Very funny, 'Mione." I said in a reproachful tone. She grinned unashamedly down at me, setting her book aside. "I'm seriously hurt here." She grinned more softly, leaning forwards slightly.

"I'm sorry, is there any way I can make it up to you?" I grinned at that and pushed myself up so that I could reach her. I placed a soft kiss on her lips, fighting a sigh when she broke it after a moment. She wasn't comfortable with any public displays of affection, she'd hold my hand, but that was about as far as she'd go. I couldn't stay annoyed at her for it either, I was her first boyfriend, so she was learning with me. I was the opposite of her though, I didn't mind any displays of affection. Why should I care what other people thought? It doesn't hurt me if they think I'm odd. I am odd, by their standards anyway. What do I care? I like me, and I like Hermione. What's wrong with letting other people know that?

That being said, the fact that she even let me give her a kiss in front of other people was a big step for her.

"Are you doing anything tonight?" I asked eagerly. I only had three nights until school started back, and that would seriously cut down on our together time. Plus, I knew Hermione, she wouldn't do anything on weekends if she had any homework or test on the horizon.

"No, I'm completely free." She said, smiling at me, a hint of eagerness in her eyes. I grinned back, letting the smile take over my face. I'd had a brilliant idea for a place we could go out right here at Hogwarts, and we'd have to do it soon or we wouldn't have a chance.

"Great, can you get ready to go outside in about twenty minutes?"

"Yes." She answered, nodding her head.

"Brilliant, meet me here in exact-" I was cut off from the rest of my statement by two very panicked looking fourth years.

"Hermione?" Harry and Ron said together, looking at her with wide eyes. I frowned at the same time as Hermione, but for different reasons. She was frowning because they were holding a bunch of parchments and books-their unfinished homework. I was frowning because the gits had just ruined any chance I had of taking Hermione out tonight. Because, as mad as she was going to get at them, she'd help the dumb bludgers with their homework so they got good marks.

"Yes?" She asked, staring at them with her disapproving frown.

"We need your help with the astronomy paper." Ron said, ignoring the fact that we had clearly been having a conversation.

"We can't figure out how to work the formula's for it. I also can't get my goblet to turn into a bird." Harry continued, frowning as his eyes shot to my hand on Hermione's knee. The git was probably making some of it up so that I'd leave Hermione alone for a little while. He was starting to take the 'substitute big brother' thing a little too far.

Hermione's eyes drifted back to mine, a sad, vulnerable look in them as she nervously bit her lip. She was scared I'd be annoyed at her for breaking our almost made date. I did my best to give her a smile as I shrugged my shoulders. "Go ahead, love." I said, trying to smile. "I'll catch you at a later time." I pushed myself up, dusted off my robes. I stared at her for a moment and decided I'd act regardless of whether or not she was used to public displays of affection. I leaned down and pressed a kiss to her cheek, nothing that would embarrass her, but something to let Harry know I was going to pursue her even if he tried to interrupt us.

She gave me a sad smile as I stepped towards the portrait hole. I glanced over my shoulder one last time before I stepped through, and I was excited to see her shooting a pointed glare at both her best friends.

The portrait swung shut behind me and I headed back down the corridor with my hands dug deep in my robe pockets. Looked like I was going to be joining Fred and Lee in our lab after all. At least I had other plans and I wouldn't have to worry about being alone again. I was tired of having so much me time. I liked being with other people.

I reached the statue without incident and pushed it aside, climbing into our secret lab with a very mischievous smile. I could smell something that was way too close to sulfur for comfort, and there was a light pink smoke filling the air.

"What did you put in there?" I heard Fred yelp.

"The crushed Unicorn horn like you said!" Lee yelled back. I reached the end of the tunnel, fighting back a cough from the smoke. It smelled awful, like Snape's hair or Hagrid's hut in the summer-neither of which is even slightly appealing.

"I said to add that in slowly!"

"Well, start with that next time!"

I let out a loud laugh as I reached them, they were both covered in soot and had singed clothes. The cauldron was bubbling over, and brow goo coated almost every surface. Unfortunately, letting out the laugh also opened my mouth and let the pink smoke in. I promptly doubled over and started hacking from the awful taste of the smoke, (like gym socks and brussel sprouts) and the burning sensation it was causing. It made me want to puke-which, presuming they were working on the puking pastilles, was essentially a good thing.

"George?" Fred questioned, stepping up to me with a grin. I held up my hand letting him know I'd talk just as soon as I got my breath back. Godric's ghost, that stuff was awful. I raised my wand, still not breathing right, and swooshed it down, casting a nonverbal spell to clean the air up. The smoke disappeared and I took a deep breath, letting out one last cough before straightening up.

I looked from Fred, with his burnt hair and mussed robes to Lee, who was now really black from the smoke and I let out a loud laugh, thanking Merlin that I didn't have to worry about it killing me this time. Fred's lips cracked up in a smile as well, along with Lee. They both looked at each other and promptly started to laugh. We kept laughing, and before I knew it we were all on the ground, crying from laughing so hard.

We got covered in the goo, which oddly enough actually smelled like chocolate and tuna, and finally managed to stop laughing when it started to turn our skin green.

"Oh bollocks," Lee moaned, sitting up stiffly and looking at his dark green arms. "We look like Slytherins!"

"Any idea why that happened?" I asked, raising my own hand and looking at it with a grin.

"Not a clue." Fred said chipperly, trying to shake the goo of his arm. It was having none of it, I think it just latched on tighter. He raised an eyebrow at the stuff and tried to scrape it off. "Guys," he said, his brow furrowing. "We may have a problem." I grinned, shaking my head as I tried to get my own goo off.

"Do you think, Freddie?" I asked, discovering it had pretty much latched on to me as well. "What did you gits do while I was gone?"

"Blew the cauldron up." Lee answered, clawing at his own goo.

"It was his fault." Fred said, pointing his left hand at Lee while he reached into his pocket and grabbed out his wand.

"Was not!" Lee said defensively. "You didn't give me all the instructions until after I had poured some of the unicorn horn in." Fred just shrugged his shoulder and prodded his wand at the goo. It started to smoke, giving off a smell even worse than the smoke. It fell off, but we were all coughing again. I muttered the spell again and dissipated the smoke.

"Let's try a different formula, what do you think?" I asked, poking my own wand at my gooey arms. Fred nodded his head, getting rid of the rest of his goo.

"Sounds like a plan."

"By the way, are we starting phase two of ferret tonight or tomorrow?" I asked, standing up and brushing my now grimy robes off.

"Tomorrow, we'll do it during dinner." He had a wicked gleam in his eye that no doubt mirrored my own. Lee smiled as well, tossing me the ladle to the cauldron.

"Brilliant." He said as I caught the ladle. "You're taking over potion duty." I shook my head and tossed the ladle over to Fred. He caught it with a grin and stepped in front of the cauldron. Lee was okay at potions, but out of the three of us Fred was best. I wasn't bad though, however I was the only one who was taking arithmacy, so I needed to be the one figuring the formula out. Lee would take over the charm work.

I stepped up to our chalkboard and studied it, frowning when I saw the mistake. They hadn't gotten anything new since I'd last been here, they'd miscalculated. I waved my wand across it, clearing their writing off of the board and starting over. I jotted down a few steps and then moved over to our bookshelf, picking up my potion and charm book and leafing through the pages. Fred emptied the cauldron behind me while Lee gathered his ingredients up. I found the spell I needed and I wrote it on the board, doing a little math to figure out how best to blend it with the potion we needed.

"Six ladle full's of essences of murtlap." Fred read aloud. "Wasn't it supposed to be five?"

"Nah, won't split if it's only five." I said, jotting down some more steps. I loved inventing, it was exciting, fun, and fulfilling all at once. The idea that I was making something no one else ever had before was brilliant. It gave me an incredible feeling, made me feel like I was achieving something-even if everyone else thought we were just wasting our time and talents. We would prove them all wrong.

I let my eyes drift around the room, smiling as I saw Fred stooped over the cauldron with Lee hovering around him, casting charms. We were all crazy, but we'd make it work. We'd be the greatest success they'd ever seen.

All through pranks.

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><p><em>AN: I'm trying to make my writing more 'british' due to a few suggestions. I'm just warning y'all though, I am a southern bell, so my English is passable at best, I'll try to make it more authentic though. Thanks for the suggestion, and the awesome fic 'A Guide for Non-Brits Writing Harry Potter Fan-fiction' it'll be of a lot of help with my new endeavor. _

_Also, I hope you enjoy the extra twin interaction in this chapter. The twin's relationship is one of my favorite things, so I had a blast writing this chapter :)_

_Thanks for all the reviews guys, you're awesome, they're really encouraging and make me extremely excited, so keep them coming!_


	17. Chapter 17

So help me, I was going to get Hermione alone if it killed me. It was Saturday night, and she'd been working with Harry and Ron all day. We'd perfected the puking pastilles-okay, we had a nearly working prototype of the puking pastille. It would get you puking quickly, we were just having a little trouble stopping puking.

Ah well, live and learn, right?

It was dinner time, and we were sitting at the Gryffindor's table with Ron and Harry. Fred was sitting on my right, and Hermione, much to my surprise, was sitting on my left. I think she was feeling guilty for not having spent any time with me this week. It was the first time I'd even seen her all day, so I wasn't about to complain.

"Ferret come in yet?" Fred whispered to me, looking around the Hall with a frown.

"I haven't seen him yet." I replied, frowning as well.

"Bouncing boy just came in the Hall." Ron muttered out the side of his mouth, trying not to grin. Harry and him had really gotten into our pranking Malfoy. I couldn't blame him either, I was excited too.

"Brilliant." Fred murmured, reaching into his robe pocket. He set another vial on the table, and I pointed my wand at it. I sent a nonverbal spell at, causing it to disappear. I let my gaze drift to the slytherin table discreetly. Malfoy sat next to Crabbe and Goyle, frowning as he looked at his 'friends.' He was still shedding white hair, but his body had mostly returned to normal. Shape wise at least.

"What are you going to do?" Ron asked, a little too eagerly.

"Patience," I started.

"Is a virtue, little bro." Fred finished, flashing me a grin.

"Honestly, you'll find out what it does in a moment." Hermione said with an exasperated air. I grinned down at her, finding her hand underneath the table and giving it a squeeze.

"AHG!" Malfoy yelled behind us. the entire table (and the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaws) all spun around on our benches and faced the Slytherin table. Malfoy was floating in the air, screeching at the top of his lungs. He fell back to the ground after a moment , and took a step back. The minute he moved his foot he flew back up into the air and started to flail his arms around in fright.

"HELP!" He yelled at Crabbe and Goyle, they just stared at him stupidly.

He fell back to the ground and turned, running towards the exit. He made it two steps before he flew back into the air.

"I'll be damned," Someone from the Hufflepuff table gasped. "He's a bouncing ferret!"

Ron snorted and dropped his fork, Harry leaned his head back and let out a loud laugh. Hermione started shaking from her compressed laughter, making me grin happily. She was the main reason I was pranking Malfoy, so the fact that she wasn't mad at me for pranking him was bloody brilliant. Plus, as I've already mentioned once or twice, I love her laugh.

"Weasley!" Someone from the Slytherin table yelled. Ron, Ginny, Fred, and I all turned towards it. They needed to be more specific if they wanted one of us. I scanned the Slytherin table, a weary feeling filling me and making me sick. It was a feeling I hated getting, it was sort of like twin sense. I only got it if Fred was in danger-hurt, scared, or threatened.

My eyes found the source of the feeling, Crabbe was pointing his wand at Fred's chest, but because of the crowd between us, Fred didn't see the wand. I could see Crabbe's mouth moving wordlessly, and I moved without conscious thought. It was completely instinct, the need to protect my twin-my other half-over ruled any self preservation instinct. Didn't hurt that I was a Gryffindor either, I was prone to unthinking acts of courage. I launched myself in front of him, and at the same moment, a beam of dark blue light emitted from Crabbe's wand. It hit me square in the chest, and I fell to the ground in a pained heap. My chest felt like it was on fire and I couldn't get any air. Shouts were rising all around the great hall, but I only noticed Fred. He was hovering above me, his face going out of focus. His eyes were filled with worry, and it wasn't right. I gave him a smile, trying to let him know that I was fine, that he was okay so everything was good, but everything went black before I could say a thing.

We had a new person to prank.

-o-O-o-

"Pomfrey, get the hell out of my way!" I woke with a jolt, knowing that voice and feeling as though I was needed by him. My lungs were throbbing and it felt like a troll had sat down on my chest. I looked around wildly but I couldn't move my head, I was gasping for breath to hard. I had heard Fred's voice, but I couldn't see or feel him. It was an unnerving feeling, and after what had happened, I needed to see and feel him. I wanted to be sure he was okay; to be sure nothing had happened to him after I'd lost conscious.

"Pomfrey, I don't care!" Fred again, and he sounded angry. I tried to sit up, but that was utterly stupid and impossible. My head felt like it was going to split open from the increasing pain.

"Fred?" I called, surprised to hear how extremely hoarse my voice was. It was awful- I sounded like the bloody baron. The annoying part was that it made my arms start to pound, along with the awful chest pain and terrible headache. How does that even work? I was using my voice, not my arms.

Bollocks.

"Georgie?" Fred again, this time he was nearer. I turned my head toward the voice, and I found his blue eyes, still filled with worry. "Georgie? How are you feeling?" I was not feeling well at all, but I wasn't about to tell him that. I closed my eyes, because I couldn't lie to him with my eyes open, and answered with a bold faced lie.

"Yes, I'm fine." My chest seemed to grow even more painful, as though it were trying to tell me it was not okay at all. I opened my eyes and somehow managed a smile, even though my eyes were threatening to fill with tears.

"That is quite enough, Mr. Weasley! This lad needs his rest!" Madame Pomfrey announced, stepping towards me.

"Don't worry, Pomfy." I said, using our nickname for her-she pretended she couldn't stand it, even though she secretly like it-and giving her a disarming smile winked at her. Her eyes softened minutely, and shot back to Fred. He had latched his hand onto my arm and didn't seem inclined to move any time soon. (Yes, it was still throbbing, but I wasn't inclined to move any time soon either.) "I'm fine… could we persuade you to let us have a moment alone?" I continued, still smiling. She stared at me with her piercing eyes for a moment and then gave her head a curt nod.

"Very well, I shall leave you alone for a few moments." She gave Fred one last disapproving frown and turned on her heels, disappearing into her office. I turned my aching head towards Fred and smiled at him. he frowned back at me, summoning a chair from across the room and sitting down by me.

"You lie."

"Huh?"

"You, George, are not feeling fine." I deflated a little, letting my smile drop some. "You look like you feel awful."

"That obvious, huh?"

"I'm your twin for Merlin's sake, of course I can tell." He snapped, frowning fiercely. I furrowed my brows plus frowned back at him.

"Well some ones a bit testy."

His eyes softened slightly, but he still looked upset. "I'm sorry." He paused, eyes dropping to his lap. "Why'd you take the hit?" I let out a loud snort at that, shaking my head and instantly regretting the thoughtless action when my head got even more sore. Could your head actually split open?

"Freddie, do you even really have to ask?" I took a deep breath, and it helped clear my head some. "The same reason you would have. Did you get Crabbe?"

"Yep, Lee, Hermione, Harry, Ron, Angelina, Alicia, and I all got him-at the same time." A real grin lifted my lips at that-and it didn't hurt too bad- and I let out a quiet laugh.

"Brilliant, did he make it out?"

"Yes, in a more slug like state." He said, his eyes sparkling with mischief.

I swallowed, and we grew silent for a moment. My chest wasn't throbbing quite as much now, it was a dull ache instead of a roaring pain. "What'd he hit me with?" I hadn't recognized the spell, but whatever it was it was a nasty little bludger of a curse.

"Not sure, Pomfrey just whisked you away and started firing healing spells at you." I nodded my head at that, taking a deep breath and closing my eyes. We stayed silent for another moment, when a thought popped into my head.

I pried one eye open and tilted my head towards Fred again. His eyes were still firmly fixed on mine, and his hand had not left my arm yet either.

"How'd Hermione react?" He stared at me for a moment, and then he snorted, his eyes brightening and a grin lifting his lips up. It made me smile to see him grinning again, I hate it when he looks upset, it's like the sun's disappeared. Like seeing a kind Slytherin, backstabbing Hufflepuff, or dumb Ravenclaw-it's not natural.

"You certainly are feeling fine, aren't you?"

"Certainly, Brother'O Mine." I answered quickly, trying to keep my eagerness at bay. "So, how'd she take it?"

"She got bloody crazy." He replied, his eyes sparkling with mirth. "She shot several spells at Crabbe and her wand was sparking like mad. It was a good thing there were a bunch of people between us. Between the seven of us Crabbe wouldn't have been able to walk again."

"What happened?"

"After we hit him the other Slytherins started getting up from the table and aiming their wands at us. All the Gryffindors, Hufflepuffs, and Ravenclaws joined our side, and things were about to get ugly. Dumbledore and Moody stepped in before things could really escalate though."

"Kill joys." I muttered half heartedly. Fred flashed me another grin. "Did Crabbe get detention?"

"Yep, Snape had to give it to him. He wanted us to get it, but Dumbledore let it slide because we were fighting in self defense."

"Brilliant." I said, feeling tired again. I hated being sick. I hate always being tired, and I'm not particularly fond of pain either.

"You should rest, Georgie." Fred said softly, moving his hand from my arm to my forehead, gently brushing my hair away. "Who know, maybe you can milk this long enough to get out of class for a few days." I nodded my head, my eyes lighting up at the thought.

"At the very least, you should be able to get 'Mione out on a date now."

I fell back to sleep laughing.

* * *

><p><em>AN: I just realized, I've officially posted 25 stories :D (My story for May 2-the battle of hogwarts- entitled 'broken' got me there... I feel older for some reason, is that odd? Oh well, I've been having a blast with the stories.__ I'm still working on making extra twin interaction, so I hope you all are enjoying it-I'll get more Hermione George interaction soon. They may get a date, though, I think Krum and Katie are going to be making an annoying comeback.:)_

_Thanks for all the reviews guys, you're awesome, they're really encouraging and make me extremely excited, so keep them coming!_

_Poll results are in as well, Gryffindor is in first place with 20, Ravenclaw is second with 13, Hufflepuff is in third with 12, Slytherin is in last place with 9. A new poll is up, so go give it a go if your bored or curious._


	18. Chapter 18

Great Merlin's beard, and Bloody hell, my head was killing me when I woke up again. It was dark now, and I had absolutely no clue as to what the time was. I only knew two things for sure. One, it was night, two, I was alone again.

Fred had gone and disappeared on me while I slept. I was a little hurt by this, I mean, I wouldn't have left his side if he'd gone and got injured. Especially if he'd done it for me. I didn't think Fred would leave me unless he had too, but he'd have snuck back in after hours-that's what we always did. Believe it or not, this wasn't actually our first time in the hospital wing.

I know, it's shocking.

See, the problem was that our brilliant products didn't always turn out quite like we expected them too-though, we always bounced back.

Still, it was dark, I was hurting, and I was once again alone. I _hate_ being alone-I deplore it. This was as good as torture for me. I let out a tired, pained, sigh and pushed myself up slowly, cringing when I felt another stab of pain in my arms. I was going to figure out what the deal was with that. I got hit in the chest, so why were my arms hurting me? That was just all kinds of wrong.

I fell back to the bed in a pained heap, deciding that escape wasn't an option right now. I'd have to wait until morning at least.

I turned my head back towards the door, frowning at it and wishing someone would sneak out to come and visit me.

Almost as though it knew what I was thinking, the door swung open, but no one came through. After a moment it shut again, and no one was in the room. I slumped back to my bed and frowned. Apparently my mind was now playing tricks on me as well. I'd just throw that on the list with my other symptoms if Pomfrey ever actually asked me about them.

"George?" I shot up, instantly regretting it when my head and chest flared up in pain again. I ignored it though and looked around wildly for Fred. I knew that was him calling my name, so where had he gone?

"Fred?" I asked, my voice growing excited as I looked around. I felt something move by my side and I jumped, looking over in time to see the air shimmer before Fred and Hermione appeared, dropping Harry's invisibility cloak on my bed. I brightened up, a huge grin lifting my lips as I looked at them.

"Sorry I wasn't here when you woke." Fred said, sitting next to me on the bed. "I was helping someone else make a jail break."

"Brilliant!" I exclaimed, moving over on the bed so that they could both sit down. Hermione was blushing furiously, but instead of avoiding my eyes like she usually did when she was embarrassed, she was looking at me almost earnestly, letting her eyes scan every inch of my body.

"I was really worried." She explained, reaching over and resting her hand on my leg lightly. I was thrilled that Hermione Granger had not only snuck out of Gryffindor illegally, but she'd openly admitted to worrying about me.

"Is Malfoy still bouncing around?" I questioned, grinning at them both like a nutter. They'd come to see me, even though they could get in trouble. I had the best twin ever, no question about it.

"Yeah, Snape had to use a summoning charm to get him into the Slytherin common room." Fred said, laughing as he spoke. He looked better than he had earlier, more at ease-happier. Hermione still looked slightly panicked though. Her eye hadn't left my chest, and she was biting her lip nervously. Fred looked at her for a moment, then turned back to me, giving me a mischievous wink. "I'm going to go check on Poppy, make sure she won't be bothering us." He hopped off the bed, giving me another wink before stepping towards Pomfrey's office.

I watched him go with a small smile. Hermione moved by my side though, and she stole my attention away. She inched her hand up my leg, letting it rest on my knee as she moved her body closer to me. I looked up from her hand, letting my eyes travel up her body and come to rest on her eyes. She was still biting her lip nervously as she found my eyes. Hers were large and slightly glassy, as though she was thinking really hard. I lifted my sore hand and placed it on her cheek, gently cupping it and brushing my thumb against it. It still marveled me how soft her skin was. My other hand traveled up her bare arm, and I noticed she was in her night gown for the first time. It was pale blue, and knee length, with short sleeves. She looked really pretty.

"Thanks for coming." I whispered letting my other hand come to rest at the back of her neck in her hair. She'd left it down, and I liked it better down than up or back. To be so bushy they were incredibly soft, just like the rest of her.

"I'm sorry I couldn't come earlier. Pomfrey wouldn't let anyone in to see you. She was furious that Fred snuck into see you. She couldn't get rid of him though-flat out refused to leave your side."

"That's Fred for you." I said lowly, scooting nearer to her. She visibly shivered as my breath washed across her face. Her eyes widened slightly and she scooted closer to me, her hands rising up my own arms and coming to rest behind my neck. She sat up and scooted still closer to me, so that our upper bodies were barely touching. Her face was less than an inch from mine, and she'd completely stopped.

I decided to close the distant, since Hermione didn't seem inclined to, and pressed a kiss to her lips, which she eagerly returned. Her hands tightened around my neck even more, her fingers weaving their way into my hair. She tugged the locks, bringing my face closer to hers and pressing her body more firmly into mine and causing me to moan at the feel of her pressed against me. Her body felt warm and supple in my arms and I couldn't help myself as I brought my arm hand down to her waist and pulled her closer to my body.

She gasped at the feel, allowing me the chance to deepen the kiss. She tensed for a moment at the feel, and then relaxed against me, moaning into my mouth and causing me to get even more excited and hot. She was beautiful and hot and she was kissing me with abandon. It was incredible and sensual and was leaving me completely breathless. She pulled away from me, gasping for breath so I moved my mouth to her neck, causing her to shiver beneath my lips. I kept pressing kisses to her neck, working my way up to her jaw line. She made the most adorable mewing noises as I kissed her.

"Maybe I should have announced myself." Hermione sprang away from me, blushing terribly before hiding her face in her hands. I pulled her back to me, wrapping her up in a hug. She actually let me, moving her head to hide in my shoulder instead.

"Yeah, Fred, might be helpful in the future. After all, I always announce myself before I walk in when you and Ange are getting off." He grinned at that nodding his head. Hermione gave a muffled laugh against my shoulder, quaking slightly.

I gripped her tighter, resting my head against her. Who would have thought it'd take me getting hexed to get some alone time with her?

-o-O-o-

"You're coming with me!" I had just been released from the hospital, and it was ten at night. I'd found Hermione curled up with a book in the corner of the common room (anyone surprised? I didn't think so.) She jumped in surprise at the sound of my voice, turning her head to see me more clearly.

"What? George?" She questioned, frowning slightly. I nodded my head, grinning widely.

"Yep, I'm George. Good job, you can still tell us apart. Now drop that book, we're going out."

She dropped her book, but frowned more. "Out? Isn't it a little too late for that?"

"Nope, and I only just got out or I would have taken you earlier, sorry." She let me pull her up, still looking terribly unsure.

"Come on, love. I promise I won't get you in trouble." I pleaded, putting on my best puppy dog eyes. Her frown faltered and her eyes softened. She stepped towards me, shaking her arm out of my hold and then grasping my hand.

"Alright, let's go." I grinned at her, feeling on cloud nine as I pulled her away. We raced down the corridors, careful not to be seen, and snuck out the castle. Hermione kept asking me where we were going, but I shushed her, insisting I wanted it to be a surprise. I was only going to get this one chance for this date, and I was not letting anything spoil it.

"The black lake?" Hermione said in surprise as we reached our destination. I nodded my head, grinning over at her. She was looking pretty again, her dark hair covering her dainty shoulders in a bushy halo and her dark eyes holding mine. "What are we doing here?" She asked, her voice sounding breathier than before as she got caught in my gaze.

"Skating." I answered simply, forcing myself to continue to the lake.

"You skate?" She asked, sounding disbelieving as she looked at the frozen lake. I nodded my head, grinning as we stepped through the gate that surrounded the park.

"Yeah, Fred and I saw some muggle borns doing it on the black lake our first year, and we taught ourselves how."

"It's my favorite outdoor hobby." She said, looking at the frozen water with a clear sense of wonder.

"I know." I said simply, stepping onto the lake edge. I reached into my bag and handed her a pair of skates I'd gotten in her size and bent down to pull my own on.

"How did you know?" she asked her voice still filled with wonder.

"I first found out about your secret love of skating last year. I saw you sneak away from everyone to go for a skate. When ickle Ronnikins was being a git to you, you'd come down here and skate for an hour or so." I answered.

She lowered herself beside me and pulled on her skates, beaming the entire time. I finished lacing mine up and pushed myself up. After a moment I had my balance and she had her laces tied. I reached out a hand and offered it to her. She grinned up at me and accepted my hand. I pulled her up and she slipped, falling into my chest. I let out a puff of air as she knocked the air out of me. She pressed her hands against me and lifted herself up, murmuring a string of apologizes as she did. She caught my eyes again, and I found myself getting lost in her. They were so much deeper than I used to think-they even had flecks of gold in them.

"My fault," I said quietly, cutting her off before she could continue apologizing. I gave myself a mental shake and moved so that I was holding her hand. "Come on, let's give it a go." She smiled up at me, her eyes sparkling brightly against the night.

We made a lap around the lake carefully. We skated next to each other, but didn't touch, she had her hands at her sides, seeming unsure whether to acknowledge me or not. The fact that she hadn't been on many dates seemed almost painfully obvious as she skated next to me. When we started our second lap I decided to help show her what to do. I skated closer to her and took her hand, speeding up a bit.

She let out a laugh and sped up, keeping pace with me. I grinned at her and sped up even more, she did as well, not having any trouble. Her laugh rang out across the lake, loud, clear, and full of happiness. It lifted me up and made me feel like I could fly without my broom.

"Care to try something?" I asked, looking over at her. She stared at me for a moment, her eyes wide with happiness and excitement.

"Yes." She finally said, a grin lifting her lips. I grinned at her, hoping it didn't come off as mischievous, and offered her my other hand. She took it and I spun around so that I was facing her, now skating backwards. She lifted an eyebrow, slowing down a bit so that we weren't racing across the lake anymore. I pulled her body closer to mine and dropped one of my hands to her waist. Her eyes widened in surprise, and she moved one of her hands to my shoulder on instinct. I started to sway to a tune that seemed to issue from the lake (you have to love magic)

We danced across the ice, and for a while, the whole world seemed to disappear as I held her close to me.

* * *

><p><em>AN: __Thanks for all the reviews guys, you're awesome, they're really encouraging and make me extremely excited, so keep them coming!_


	19. Chapter 19

And school has officially started again… Whoopee.

Can't you just feel my enthusiasm?

After classes, which had taken forever due to all the homework my teachers kept piling on. I headed towards the Common Room with Fred and Lee, letting out a laugh as Fred joked about the way Snape had reacted to a bad batch of polyjuice that Leanne had brewed.

"It was horrible smelling alright, but you'd of thought Len was killing his mum the way he was caring on."

We stepped into the Common Room, laughing at the memory, and I immediately knew something was wrong. It was far, far, _far_ too quiet. Fred and Lee stopped talking as well, growing silent in the tense room. A group of forth years were glaring at each other, Hermione, Ron, Harry, Neville, Seamus, and Dean on one side, Eloise, Lavender, and Pavarti on the other.

"What's with the glares?" I asked, stepping up behind the trio's sofa and dropping my bag on the floor next to them. Hermione looked at me over the back of the sofa, her eyes wide and worried. She turned back towards the others, her eyes narrowed and her face hard again. the speed with which she'd changed her expressions had surprised me, but I didn't show it.

"Have you heard the news?" Harry asked coldly. We all shook our heads, but nobody was looking at us, so I realized they couldn't see us.

"No, what news?" Instead of answering Harry thrust a paper into my hands. Fred and Lee moved closer to me, and the three of us read the paper.

_DUMBLEDORE'S GIANT MISTAKE Albus Dumbledore, eccentric Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, has never been afraid to make controversial staff appointments, writes Rita Skeeter, Special Correspondent. In September of this year, he hired Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody, the notoriously jinx-happy ex-Auror, to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts, a decision that caused many raised eyebrows at the Ministry of Magic, given Moody's well-known habit of attacking anybody who makes a sudden movement in his presence. Mad-Eye Moody, however, looks responsible and kindly when set beside the part-human Dumbledore employs to teach Care of Magical Creatures.  
><em>_ Rubeus Hagrid, who admits to being expelled from Hogwarts in his third year, has enjoyed the position of gamekeeper at the school ever since, a job secured for him by Dumbledore.  
><em>_ Last year, however, Hagrid used his mysterious influence over the headmaster to secure the additional post of Care of Magical Creatures teacher, over the heads of many better-qualified candidates.  
><em>_ An alarmingly large and ferocious-looking man, Hagrid has been using his newfound authority to terrify the students in his care with a succession of horrific creatures.  
><em>_ While Dumbledore turns a blind eye, Hagrid has maimed several pupils during a series of lessons that many admit to being "very frightening."  
><em>_ 'I was attacked by a hippogriff, and my friend Vincent Crabbe got a bad bite off a flobberworm," says Draco Malfoy, a fourth-year student. "We all hate Hagrid, but we're just too scared to say anything."  
><em>_ Hagrid has no intention of ceasing his campaign of intimidation, however. In conversation with a Daily Prophet reporter last month, he admitted breeding creatures he has dubbed "Blast-Ended Skrewts," highly dangerous crosses between manti-cores and fire-crabs. The creation of new breeds of magical creature is, of course, an activity usually closely observed by the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. Hagrid, however, considers himself to be above such petty restrictions.  
><em>_ "I was just having some fun," he says, before hastily changing the subject.  
><em>_ As if this were not enough, the Daily Prophet has now unearthed evidence that Hagrid is not - as he has always pretended - a pure-blood wizard. He is not, in fact, even pure human. His mother, we can exclusively reveal, is none other than the giantess Fridwulfa, whose whereabouts are currently unknown._

Half giant? Uh-oh… That wouldn't be good for Hagrid. I didn't need to read anymore, I knew what the problem was now, and I knew why they were glaring at Lavender, Pavarti, and Eloise. They'd probably said something degrading about Hagrid and incensed the rest of them.

"Have you lot seen Hagrid since this came out?" Fred asked, looking up from the paper.

"No. We went down to see him but he wasn't there." Hermione answered, sounding worried. I laid my hand on her shoulder and gave it a squeeze.

"Don't worry, he'll show up. Dumbledore won't let him leave for long." I said, talking to the trio.

"Anyone up for a game of exploding snap?" Lee asked, helping to defuse the tension in the room.

-o-O-o-

The rest of that week, and the next, passed by like normal-for Hogwarts anyway. It was finally a Hogsmeade weekend, and I had a date with my girl, also known as Hermione Granger.

She'd agreed to accompany me to Hogsmeade the moment I asked. Her eyes had lit up and she'd answered yes almost before I finished asking the question. Apparently she'd been wanting some alone time as badly as I had.

It was funny, I'd only been dating her for five weeks, (seven if you start counting when I asked her to the Yule ball) but I was already crazier about her than any of my past girlfriends. When you take into account the fact that I had dated Leanne for six months, that was a little scary. I was falling for her fast.

She was just fun to be with. Even when we weren't snogging (and she was bloody good at it) I was having fun. She was a great listener, and always full of fascinating tidbits of information, which she loved sharing. In short, she was just incredible.

I'm getting bad, aren't I?

Well, it was now Saturday, which meant I got the whole day with Hermione, just her, me, a warm cozy booth, and a butterbeer.

I walked into the common room, dressed for a cold day and carrying a couple extra galleons. Hermione was due to meet me at any moment, so I was standing in front of the dorm steps.

She didn't keep me waiting long. Only a minute after I appeared I saw her step down the stairs, and she was beautiful as usual. Her hair was left out, and she was wearing a pair of form fitting muggle jeans. A long sleeved Gryffindor shirt completed the outfit, matching my own black Gryffindor shirt.

"You look stunning." I said, holding my hand out for her as she climbed down the last step. She blushed as she took my hand, looking at my own clothes discreetly.

"You look dashing as well." She said softly, staring at me with her dark eyes. I grinned and stepped towards the portrait hole, letting the hand holding hers swing.

"Is the Three Broomsticks okay with you?" I asked as we joined the rest of the students headed towards Hogsmeade. A buzz of conversation rose up around us, making it hard to hear what she said. I asked her again, and she spoke louder, but I still couldn't hear her. She frowned at my confused look and then grinned. She slowly nodded her head and held up three fingers. I grinned at her and nodded my head as well. The Three Broomsticks it would be.

We walked most of the rest of the trip in silence, unable to hear each other when we spoke. Once we reached the village we broke off from the rest of the pack, running towards the Three Broomsticks. It was cold, and snowing, so it was extra cold. We ran into the warm tavern and looked around, Hermione spotted a booth at the back corner, and we ran towards it, claiming it right before another couple could.

"I'll get us something to drink and eat, what would you like?" I asked, moving towards the edge of the booth. Hermione furrowed her brow in worry.

"You don't have to pay for me, I have money."

"Please let me, it's something I like to do. You wouldn't want to take the pleasure away from me, would you?" I said, knowing she would let me pay now. She frowned, but her eyes gave her happiness away.

"Alright, butterbeer please."

"Food?"

She looked momentarily conflicted, she hated spending my money, but she was probably starving. She'd skipped breakfast to work on her homework, I hadn't found out till later.

"A sandwich would be nice." I nodded my head, grinning at her as I stood.

"Alright, I'll be right back." I went up to the bar and ordered two butterbeers and two sandwiches. I waited for the food to arrive and I let my eyes wander around the shop. I saw a few people I knew, but not anyone I particularly cared about. Harry and Ron were in the back corner, talking animatedly. They saw me so I waved, they tried to wave me over, but I shook my head. They had to be crazy if they actually thought I was coming over. It took me forever to get a date with Hermione, it would take a lot to get me to leave her.

I grabbed the drinks and food and took them to the table, sliding in next to Hermione with a big grin. She accepted the food and drink with a food, and we dug in. The sandwiches were good, but the butterbeer was the best part. Next to Hermione, of course.

"How has school been this week?" I asked after I had taken a few bites of my sandwich.

"Brilliant," was Hermione's quick answer. "I've finished all my homework, so I'll be able to go skating with you again tonight." she said, blushing slightly again. I had no idea why, but I'd learned it took almost nothing to make her blush. It was one of her endearing qualities.

"Brilliant, I can't wait." I told her, smiling easily.

She grinned again, reaching for her butterbeer.

"George?" I started, turning from Hermione to find Fred standing next to me with a slight frown.

"Yeah?" I asked, giving him a look that let him know I was on a date with my lady.

"Hermione, I hate to be a nuisance, but I need to borrow my twin for a few moments." Hermione's eyes widened and she frowned at Fred, looking anything but trusting. She actually looked really upset for a moment before she managed to mask it behind a cloud of indifference.

"Of course."

I turned back to Fred, frowning at him. It was wrong, he shouldn't be dragging me away from my date, but I wasn't actually able to stay mad at him. it was something I just couldn't do.

"What was that all about?" I asked the minute I was free from the booth. Fred looked at me out of the corner of his eye, stepping forward and to the left, avoiding Harry and Ron. He was headed towards the back of the cauldron, the less respectable side of it, if you will.

"Bagman." Was his one word reply. My eyes instantly narrowed and I felt myself square my shoulders as I stood straighter. That was a reason to break my date with Hermione. Bloody Bagman had taken all the money Fred and I had had, and given us fake gold in return. He was not going to get away with it either. We were going to corner that git and make him give us our gold back. We needed everything we could get a hold of for our product testing. We'd managed to make a little money off of our products, but not much by any means.

Fred stopped at the back end of the shop, his eyes scanning the room. I let mine do the same, and a second later I spotted the foul git. I nudged Fred in the side and together, we stepped towards him, both of us glaring fiercely, with our wands drawn. Bagman didn't look up, completely oblivious to the fact that we were almost on him.

Fred took the seat to his left, and I took the one to his right. He looked up from his cheese soup in surprise and promptly dropped his spoon.

"Hi, Ludo." Fred said in a cold tone I had rarely heard him use.

"We need to talk." I finished, my eyes narrowing even more. Bagman swallowed nervously and tried to push away from the table. Fred and I both grabbed the back of his chair, freezing him in place.

"We wouldn't be doing that-"

"If we were you."

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><p><em>AN: Don't worry, Krum and Katie will be reappearing, but not for a few chapters. I've got another story line building for those guys. _


	20. Chapter 20

"Now, boys." Bagman said, his voice and eyes panicky. We both narrowed our own eyes and glared at him fiercely. Bagman paled under our fierce gaze and seemed to deflate. I hated being called a 'boy.' It was a lame attempt by adults to make me feel small and dumb. I was not either of those (I was a little short, but not small) and I hated it when they tried to make me feel like that.

"Gentlemen?" I whipped my head around and down. Five goblins were standing behind us, frowning almost as fiercely as us. They must have been wanting the same thing… How many people had he cheated? "Might we have a moment alone with Mr. Bagman. I assure you, we will be more than happy to hand him over to you once we are through." I turned my gaze back to Fred and we both nodded our heads together.

I didn't want to leave him, I wanted to pound him to a pulp, but I wasn't about to take on five goblins. They were nasty little bludgers. We stood up, and with one last glare at Bagman we turned on our heels and headed back into the main part of the Three Broomsticks.

I started towards Hermione and my booth, but she wasn't there. My eyes instantly started to scan the room, and I found her standing by Harry and Ron, conversing about something or other. I stepped towards her, Fred behind me and reached for her hand when I reached her. She jumped in surprise, turning to see who I was and smiling when her eyes met mine. She grasped my hand and I stepped up next to her, Fred stepping up to her other side with a grin.

"Merlin's Beard." Ron muttered, looking at the entrance. We all turned our head to see what it was and let out snarls, sighs, and glares.

Rita Skeeter had just entered. She was wearing awful banana-yellow robes today; her freakishly long nails were painted shocking pink, and she was accompanied by a paunchy photographer. She bought drinks, and she and the photographer made their way through the crowds to a table nearby us. Fred, Hermione, Ron, Harry, and I all glared at her unashamedly as she approached. She was talking fast and looking very satisfied about something. She was probably planning some story to ruin some other persons life.

"... didn't seem very keen to talk to us, did he, Bozo? Now, why would that be, do you think? And what's he doing with a pack of goblins in tow anyway? Showing them the sights . .. what nonsense ... he was always a bad liar. Reckon something's up? Think we should do a bit of digging? 'Disgraced Ex-Head of Magical Games and Sports, Ludo Bagman . . .' Snappy start to a sentence, Bozo - we just need to find a story to fit it -" Great, if she dug she might find out about Fred and me getting taken-we didn't need that story leaking out.

"Trying to ruin someone else's life?" Harry asked loudly, a look of utter hatred on his face that I had only seen directed towards a few people.

Rita Skeeter's eyes widened behind her jeweled spectacles when she looked over at us and saw it was Harry that had just spoken to her.

"Harry!" she exclaimed, beaming and completely oblivious to the glare she was receiving from him and the rest of us. "How lovely! Why don't you come and join- ?"

"I wouldn't come near you with a ten-foot broomstick," Harry snarled furiously. "What did you do that to Hagrid for, eh?"

Skeeter raised her eyebrow and just looked clueless. "Our readers have a right to the truth, Harry. I am merely doing my-"

"Who cares if he's half-giant?" Harry shouted. "There's nothing wrong with him!"

I became aware how deathly quiet the entire bar had grown, but I didn't care, I was glaring at Skeeter too hard to really notice.

Her smile flickered very slightly, but she hitched it back on so quickly I thought I'd imagined the flicker. She snapped open her crocodile-skin, purple, ugly, handbag and pulled out her Quick-Quotes Quill, and said, "How about giving me an interview about the Hagrid you know. Harry? The man behind the muscles? Your unlikely friendship and the reasons behind it. Would you call him a father substitute?"

Hermione jerked her hand out of mine and clutched a butterbeer tankard off the table, stepping towards Skeeter and holding the mug up as though she were going to hurl it.

"You horrible woman," she snarled through gritted teeth, "you don't care, do you, anything for a story, and anyone will do, wont they? Even Ludo Bagman -" Her eyes were narrowed in hate and I found myself surprisingly turned on. She was seriously hot when she was mad. She sparkled with magic and her hair seemed to crackle with the power of it.

"Sit down, you silly little girl, and don't talk about things you don't understand," Skeeter said in a cold tone, looking down upon Hermione. My hands tightened into fist and I stepped behind Hermione, more than ready to punch Skeeter out if she threatened my girl. "I know things about Ludo Bagman that would make your hair curl... not that it needs it -" she added, eyeing Hermione's bushy hair. My eyes narrowed even more and I started to walk around Hermione to get at the bitch.

"Let's go," Hermione snapped, "c'mon. Harry - Ron . .." She grasped my hand again, and pulled me out, the others followed us, Fred on Hermione's other side. It was a kind of unwritten or spoken rule between us. Any time there was danger we'd flank each other, or whoever we were protecting.(I mentioned something about safety in numbers already…) Harry and Ron turned like Fred and me to give her one last glare. Skeeter's eyes weren't on me Harry as I expected, instead they were on Hermione and my intertwined hand, and she was grinning in a sickening way that made me feel a shiver of fear course down my spine.

"She'll be after you next, Hermione," Ron said worriedly the moment we got out to the street. I nodded my head, tightening my grip on her hand.

"Let her try!" Hermione said fiercely, still shaking with rage. "I'll show her! Silly little girl, am I? Oh, I'll get her back for this. First Harry, then Hagrid ..." I was still too mad to speak. First Bagman and now Skeeter… I should have just stayed with Hermione.

"You don't want to go upsetting Rita Skeeter," said Ron nervously. "I'm serious, Hermione, she'll dig up something on you -"

"My parents don't read the Daily Prophet. She can't scare me into hiding!" She was livid, and I'd never seen her so angry. She gripped my hand more tightly and jerked me towards her. "Come on!" I didn't question her, just followed. I shot Fred a quick look over my shoulder, shrugging at him to let him know I didn't know what was going on.

Hermione pulled me around to the back of the Three Broomsticks, her grip on me almost painful. She crushed her body into my form, shaking slightly as her eyes filled with tears. I recovered from my initial shock quickly and wrapped her up in my arms, my mind racing to keep up with what had just happened. She'd gone from ready to kill Skeeter to bawling on my chest in less than a second, and it threw me for a loop as to why.

I'm a guy, what do you expect? I have trouble reading girls emotions, they're not exactly predictable. Or sensible for that matter.

Her hot tears soaked through my shirt, dampening my chest and making me hold her tighter. I mumbled something out-I don't know what, and I stroked her hair.

She pulled away abruptly, her brown, wet, eyes meeting mine. "Sorry." She whispered, straightening my shirt back up. I looked down at her, feeling one of my eyebrows raise.

"Don't be, love."

"I just got so angry! That Skeeter woman!"

"I know, she made me angry too. We'll think of something to get her back."

"Where did you and Fred go to?" She did another three sixty on me and it once again threw me for a loop. I raised my eyebrow at her and furrowed my brow.

"Excuse me?" Had I missed something? Well, obviously I had, but what had I missed?

"You and Fred, where did you go when he dragged you away?" Oh, she wanted to know about Bagman… I couldn't tell her, Fred and I had promised not to tell anyone-not even Lee. As much as I liked Hermione, I couldn't break a pack I'd made with Fred. I wouldn't do that for anything. I simply did not break my twins confidence. Ever.

"To talk." I said, trying not to sound too short, but hoping she took the hint. She didn't.

"No, you went to do something, what was it?"

"I can't tell you." I said simply, she seemed to be getting angry again, but at me this time.

"Can't or won't?" She asked, her eyes narrowed. I was beginning to get annoyed myself. She'd turned on me without any reason, I hadn't done anything wrong.

"Can't, Hermione."

"You can, you just won't." She accused.

"Hey," I said, holding my hands up defensively. "Don't get angry at me. I'm not in the wrong here."

"And I am?" She asked, narrowing her eyes even more, they were now just slits.

"No," I said, backing up quickly. I was officially clueless, but I was getting angry. She was accusing me when I really had done nothing wrong. "But I haven't done anything to make you angry."

"Really? Keeping secrets isn't a call to get annoyed?"

"Secrets?" I asked, my voice growing darker. "If we're talking about secrets how about we talk about the owls you, Ron, and Harry are always sending."

"That's completely beside the point!" She snapped.

"No-if you're getting onto me for going off with Fred, I can get onto you for going off with them."

"You're missing the point! You left me and you won't tell me why!"

"Well you're right, I am missing the point!"

"What a surprise!"

"What do you mean by that?" I was fuming now, and she was too. Her hair was sparking and growing before my eyes. Most people would have backed off with her looking like that, but I didn't. I was passed angry, I was ticked.

"A surprise that you don't get a girl. I used to think Ron was the clueless one, but you just passed him by with flying colors!"

I stepped back, my eyes widening and my heart plummeting. That was a low, mean hit.

"Well, at least I'm not embarrassed to be seen with you." I snapped. My eyes widened and I felt myself step back. I didn't really know where that had come from. It was a thought I had entertained only a few times, and I'd never actually admitted it. It just kept me up some times.

Hermione's eyes widened and she looked like I had hit her.

"Is that what you think?" She asked, barely whispering the words. I didn't say anything, just watched her, trying to gage her reaction. Was she embarrassed to be with me? "I can't believe you would even-" She promptly burst into tears and pushed passed me. I turned towards her, intending on stopping her but she was running away like You-Know-Who was following her.

I stepped after her but stopped myself. She didn't want me to follow her. She hadn't said otherwise, maybe she really was embarrassed of me…

I turned around, my stomach tying itself up in a knot, and walked back around the Three Broomsticks. The others were just disappearing over the top of the hill. I started towards them and Fred stopped, sensing my presence. He turned towards me and took one look at me before he was by my side.

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><p><em>AN: Don't forget to review if you enjoy it :D. _


	21. Chapter 21

I didn't see Hermione anymore that day, or the next.

No, I wasn't avoiding her, I was just really hurt-not that I'd have admitted it. Only Fred was able to tell just how down I was. I buried myself in our half made products, trying to finish them. It was a good distraction, and I managed to solve our problems with the puking pastilles.

"George, this is enough." I looked up from the boiling cauldron and frowned at my twin. He had stepped over towards me and was looking as though he was gearing himself up for a fight.

"What?" I asked, stirring my cauldron half heartedly. I knew what he'd said and wanted, I just didn't want to talk about it. Not now or ever.

"You've been moping around in here for the last three days. I've had it."

"Sorry to bother you." I said coldly, standing up and dropping the ladle. Fred narrowed his eyes and blocked me from my attempt to leave the room.

"Georgie, none of that. Come on, I know how upset you are. Just got talk to Hermione. She's not happy either." I frowned even more, feeling nettled as well as guilty.

"Fred, she doesn't want to talk to me."

"Yes she does, I don't know what went down on Saturday, and I don't need to know. I know that you both got upset and probably said some stupid things. Now, you need to go apologize to her and make things right again. Otherwise, I'm going to pose as you and do it myself."

I looked at him, a slight grin trying to lift my lips. "It won't work. She can tell the difference between us."

He waved his hand through the air dismissively. "Small problem, I'll just use polyjuice. Silly since we're identical twins, but it should work."

He had me there. "Fine, I'll talk to her. Will that make you happy?"

He grinned, his eyes mischievous and bright. "Nope, but it will make you happy."

I couldn't argue with that.

-o-O-o-

All I had to do was go into the library. Just take two steps and walk into the place I hated. It was easy, effortless even. So why in Merlin's name couldn't I get my feet to take the two steps forwards?

I was terrified, what if she didn't want to see me? What if she wouldn't forgive me? What if she really was embarrassed by me?

This was plain silly, I was a Gryffindor, courage came easily for me. I threw my shoulders back and took the two steps into the library, and promptly stopped again. I had never been so worried about stepping into the library before. I was scared to go find Hermione. I was embarrassed by what I had said to her, but I was hurt by what she had said to me as well. I tried really hard to be 'sensitive' and understanding, and she'd just blown my attempts off. She even had gotten onto me for not telling what I was doing with my twin.

I couldn't betray Fred's confidence, he was the most important thing to me, I thought she'd understood that. Apparently not though judging by the fact that she had gotten so angry at me.

I sighed and forced myself to go forward. I wouldn't put this off any longer. I'd made Hermione cry and I was not going to let another minute pass without letting her know I was sorry about that. I still couldn't tell her what had happened, but I could apologize for accusing her of being embarrassed by me. I could apologize for hurting her feelings, which I'd never set out to do. I never wanted to hurt her. I really liked her. I needed to remind her of that fact, and let her know I hadn't meant to hurt her with my insecurities. The worst that could happen is that she would tell me it was over. It'd be painful, and I doubt we'd be able to be friends again, but I'd know I had really given her my all.

Merlin, please don't let it be over.

I made my way through the aisles, going to the place I knew she'd be. The oldest section of the library, it was where we always met up, and I just knew that was where she'd be. A moment later I reached the spot and she was there like I knew she would be. I leaned against the bookshelf silently, watching her as she read her book. She was leaning on the table, her arms crossed in front of her book. Her hair was pulled back in a messy pony tail, tendrils falling out and framing her face. Her perfect, white, straight, teeth were chewing on the tip of her quill, her full lips brushing against them. Her brow had the concentration lines she always got when she was focusing or studying, the only lines on her face. She was leaning forward and her tie was loosened, showing some of her neck, and the first few buttons on her long sleeved shirt were undone, giving just a hint of what rested beneath. She was beautiful, and she was convinced I was furious with her.

How had I let even one day go by with her thinking I was angry?

She paused in her reading, lifting her eyes and scanning the shelves in front of her. She tensed, her eyes narrowing before she moved her eyes towards me. She blushed, but didn't move her eyes. I stood frozen, unable to look away from her and unable to move. I was completely frozen.

We stared at each other for a few moments, and then she opened her mouth, drawing my gaze to her lips. "George?" She questioned, her voice guarded. I tensed at the sound of it but pushed away from the shelf just the same. I strode up to the table and dropped my bag in a chair before sitting down in front of her.

"Hermione," I said softly, trying to keep my voice from sounding as guarded, "I'm just going to come right out and say it."

"George," she said again, trying to cut me off. I shook my head and held up my hand, stopping her from talking.

"No, Hermione, I need to say this. I'm sorry." Her eyes widened and promptly filled with tears. I rose from my chair as quickly as I could and stepped around the table so I was next to her. I sat down on the edge of the chair next to her and grabbed her hand. She turned towards me, tears spilling down her eyes now. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you cry. I just got upset that you thought I was purposely trying to keep something from you. I really, really, like you Hermione, and I don't want to let a miss understanding break us up or mess us up."

"I'm sorry too, George." She said, her voice watery. "I was already so angry at Skeeter that it just spilled out when you wouldn't tell me what you were doing." She sniffed and wiped her tears away with her free hand before continuing. "I completely understand that you can't break Fred's trust, and I won't ask you again."

I pulled her back to my chest, holding her in a tight hug.

She pulled back from me after a moment, an accusing look on her face as she smacked my chest.

"What was that for?" I asked, rubbing my now sore chest and dropping my arms from her.

"For accusing me of being embarrassed to be seen with you! How could you even think that?" I swallowed, dropping my eyes from her accusing ones. I thought we could avoid this conversation for a little longer.

"I don't think it, not really. It honestly just slipped out." I tried, her eyes let me know she wasn't buying it. Urgh. "Alright, I may have entertained the notion once or twice. I mean, I'm not exactly great for your image."

"That is not true. I've never been embarrassed to be with you. I always thought it was the other way around." She said quietly, looking at me with wide eyes. She placed her hands on my shoulders and pushed herself up until her mouth was even with mine, and she pressed a kiss to my lips.

Fred was right again, I should have apologized sooner.

-o-O-o-

So, three things happened while I had been avoiding Hermione. 1) Hagrid was back as gamekeeper and teacher. 2) Harry had found out the secret to the egg and now just had to figure out a way to hold his breath for an hour (no problem, happens every day, I'm sure.) 3) Krum had started to talk to my girl again.

Needless to say I was most caught up in the last one.

Don't mistake me, I don't mean he was waving at her in the hall or giving her a simple 'good morning' in passing. I mean he was searching her out and carrying on long, heartfelt, conversations with her while Ron and Harry were in divination.

Can you say 'hell no'?

Weeks had gone by, but nothing much had changed. Hermione and I had reverted to how we were before Skeeter had popped up, (except we were a little closer. I wasn't worried anymore, and neither was she which led to some very fun snogging.) January slowly melted away into February, making Harry nearly blinded with panic as his deadline approached.

"Hermione!" I called, running down the corridor to catch up with her. She was headed towards the library again. Her, Harry, and Ron had been spending every bit of their spare time there. Fred, Lee, and I had even started hanging out there. We still hadn't come up with even a hint of an idea for what to use to let Harry breathe underwater for a few hours either.

She stopped in her trek and turned towards me, a grin lighting up her face as she saw me. "George!" She exclaimed, hugging me when I reached her. I returned the hug, grabbing her hand when she dropped her arms from me. We continued down the hall, and she started chatting about what she had learned in charms animatedly, her eyes brightening with excitement. I listened half-heatedly. I felt like someone was watching me, but I couldn't figure out who. There was almost no one here.

"So, what do you think?" Hermione asked, I started, realizing I had completely missed whatever question it was she had asked me.

"Umm, sorry, I missed that last bit." I said sheepishly, smiling at her. She shook her head, a small smile lifting her lips up.

"I know, what's got your attention?"

I shrugged, glancing around the hall again. We'd reached the library now, and no one was following us. Maybe I'd just imagined it… "I feel like someone's watching us. You know what I mean?" She nodded her head, glancing up and down the hall as well before she stepped through the door. I followed her, deciding I'd ask her my question before we lost our solitude.

"Hermione?" she turned her head towards me, smiling.

"Yes?"

"Are you doing anything on Valentine's day?" she grinned even more and shook her head.

"No, not yet anyway." I grinned back at her, tightening my grip on her hand.

"Would you accompany me to Hogsmeade?"

"I'd love to." She said quietly, blushing slightly. I grinned even more, not even caring that we had reached the others now. I knew I at least had one date with Hermione now. They were getting to be few and far between. I couldn't wait for February 24th to pass and for Harry to be alright.

We sat down by Ron and Harry, both of whom were starting to look slightly ill. I picked up a book on charms off the table and began to flip through its pages, resigning myself to another day in the library. I turned the antiquated pages of the book and grabbed a quill and parchment to make notes on anything I might find.

Thirty pages in and nothing had really caught my eye, at least not for Harry. Maybe he should talk to McGonagall about animagus's. He could turn into a fish or something…

I turned another page and my eyes caught sight of a spell I'd never even heard of. 'Somnium.' I dropped the page and propped the book up a little more so I could read it more clearly.

_Somnium: A spell for rendering the victim in a state of dreams. Can be used in the form "Metus Somnium" to cause a state of nightmares, or 'Lucundus Somnium' to send the casted into more pleasant dreams. The spell can cause drooling, vacant stares, or whimpers. Should be used cautiously as it can become addicting._

Well that was a right clever spell… I would have to remember it when Snape went off on especially long spouts. I'd just have to figure out how to stop it. Maybe we could figure out a way to time it out. That could make it a potential product for our shop.

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><p><em>AN: Don't forget to review if you enjoy it :D. _


	22. Chapter 22

It's officially Valentines day! I finally get a date with Hermione. I've planned everything out and told Harry and Ron in no uncertain terms that if I so much as catch a glimpse of Harry's scarred head and or Ron's freakishly tall form, I will hex them into oblivion. Just because neither of them can get a date does not mean they are ruining it for me.

I shot a spell at the girls dormitory, transfiguring the steps and then ran up them. I'd learned the spell to get into them after our third year. Don't ask me how or why I did.

I stopped at Hermione's door and knocked on it, grinning happily as I waited for her to appear. After our date today I was going to meet Fred at Zonko's to get a few products for a new idea we had. Also, we needed to pick up a few items for the prank we were planning on Crabbe. It was going to be epic, and he was never going to mess with us again.

Never, ever, tick off a prankster.

Hermione had already told me a few times that we couldn't take long, Harry was past panicking about the whole air thing so she needed to return as quickly as possible to help him out. This morning was all mine though, and I was going to make sure Hermione temporarily forgot about Harry.

The door opened and Lavender Brown poked her head out, and promptly let out a shriek before slamming the door. I raised an eyebrow and knocked again, wondering what I'd done to cause that reaction.

"HERMIONE! YOUR DATE'S HERE!" I heard Lavender shriek from the other side of the door, followed by a fit of hysterical giggles. A moment later, the door opened again and a very pink cheeked Hermione stood there. She was wearing a dress I'd never seen her in before, it was a soft lavender, and rested against her curves nicely, not overly tight, but close enough to hint at what was beneath. My eyes widened and I found myself ogling her. Another fit of giggles burst from within the room and brought me back to planet earth. I forced my eyes up and grinned at her, noting she was blushing even more. I handed her the daisy I had gotten for her (she'd told me she didn't care for the traditional romantic flowers) and offered her my arm. She took it with a grin, holding the daisy in her other hand.

"How did you get up here?" Hermione asked with a grin as we descended the steps.

"Simple spell Fred and I learned years ago. This isn't the only place that uses that spell to keep people out." I said with a suggestive smile. Her eyes widened and she looked momentarily worried before she just shrugged it off.

We joined the rest of the Gryffindors at the foot of the stairs and we all headed out to Hogsmeade in a giant pack again. I had a plan this time though, no crowded restaurant for us. Once we reached the snow covered village I led Hermione away from the back of people towards a group of trees at the edge of the village. Hermione followed me without question, which surprised me. I led her through the trees, and she let out a little surprised 'oh' when she saw what I'd done.

I had set us up a little picnic spot in the middle of the clearing, but I'd surrounded the spot with jars, that had little glowing fairies in them. It had been a bugger to get hold of all the fairies, but it had been worth it for the look on her face. She looked spell bound.

I sat down by the blanket and helped Hermione sit next to me. She shivered slightly and scooted closer to me, giving me the perfect excuse to wrap my arm around her. She leaned into my hold, seeming to enjoy the contact. I know I certainly was. She was warm and supple in my arms and I knew right then that it was going to take all of my concentration to finish lunch before I snogged her senseless.

"Everything looks delicious here." She said, looking around at the assortment of food I had gotten for us. I smiled smoothly and grabbed the sandwiches. I offered her one, and then grabbed one for myself.

"Thanks, Dobby made it for me." I said with a grin. She smiled at that. I knew she wouldn't want to eat something from the house elves, but she was fine eating something Dobby had made, because he was paid.

"I bet he was excited to see you." She commented as we ate.

"Yeah, I gave him a pair of socks for it."

"That was really sweet." She said, looking at me with wide, approving eyes.

"You sound surprised." I commented, finishing my sandwich. She blushed, shaking her head.

"No, I'm not at all actually. I would have been two months ago, but I've gotten to know you a lot better."

I ran my hand up her arm slowly, looking into her eyes. "I've gotten to know you better as well." I swallowed and looked away, feeling self conscious. "I've really enjoyed getting to know you better. I never realized what a fun person you were before Christmas."

"I used to just think you were a loud prankster…" She confided, finishing her own sandwich.

"That's okay, I used to think you were just a know-it-all bookworm." She blushed, lowering her eyes and looking oddly sad. "But I've learned that you're actually just a brilliant Gryffindor."

"Thanks." She mumbled. I grinned and reached for the second part of our meal. I picked up the bowl and offered it to her, and a bright blush lit her cheeks.

"Strawberry?" I asked. She looked at the berries and shook her head, laughing far too hard to be able to say anything.

I set them down, laughing as well.

"You're never going to let me forget that are you?" She asked, blushing a bright red, but still laughing.

I shook my head, grinning unashamedly. "No, it's too good." She was doing it again, laughing with complete abandon. Her curls were flying around her cheeks as her face flushed and her body shook with the force of her laughter. Her eyes were bright and her mouth was spread in a huge grin, and it was once again the hottest thing I'd ever seen. I put my hand on her cheek and pressed a kiss to her lips impulsively, unable to stop myself.

She returned the kiss after a moment, bringing her arms up to wrap around me in an almost possessive movement as she relaxed into me. I brought my hand to her waist, holding her close and enjoying the feel of her soft body pressing lightly into mine.

I broke from the kiss to get a breath of air and Hermione immediately pulled me back, much to my surprise. I grinned into the kiss, excited that she was finally loosening up enough to really start enjoying snogging. I heard a rushing noise, but I assumed it was just the blood pounding through my head due to the intensity of the kiss, but then I felt something extremely cold and powdery start to cover me up. I pushed away from Hermione in shock to see what looked like an avalanche falling on us from the tree line. Hermione screamed as the snow started to cover us, and I pushed her up. My bottom half was already covered, and my wand with it, so I could only hope that Hermione could get out and free me after words.

I took one last deep breath, and then I was covered in the snow. I tried to move my body frantically, aware that I was buried completely and that my air supply was going to run out quickly. I could hear muffled voices, but I couldn't tell what they were saying. I wasn't able to move my arms or legs, there was too much snow on top of me.

I was in serious trouble, and I had no idea where Hermione was or if she was buried with me. Panic was starting to set in as I tried to flail my limbs around, but the snow held me firmly in place. I needed air bad, my lungs were starting to burn severely from the lack of oxygen.

For the very first time in my life, I was actually concerned with the idea of dying, and it was scarier than anything I'd ever thought of. My lungs were on fire and my vision was growing dark. That wasn't what was really scaring me though, I was losing my connection to Fred.

See, since I can remember, I've always been connected to Fred. I mentioned earlier that I could tell when he was in danger, well I can always sort of feel how he's feeling. When he's happy, upset, annoyed, excited, you get the idea. It's not terribly strong, but it's always there, just a quiet hum of emotions that's kind of comforting. Right now though, that feeling, that connection, was fading away.

I was alone, completely, and utterly alone.

My eyes closed and I felt my head lull back as my last bit of consciousness began to fade away. The last thing I saw was a blinding white light, and I heard a scream from a familiar, but un-placable voice.

-o-O-o-

"Bloody Hell, George! If you ever scare me like that again I'll kill you myself!" Fred's voice echoed around my head as I woke up. I recognized the annoyingly familiar jump started feeling of 'enervate.'

"Fred?" I questioned, opening my eyes and finding I could breathe again. I was not taking that for granted ever again. Fred's face loomed over my head, his eyes narrowed and angry as he looked at me. I realized with a jerk that I could feel him again and I almost sighed in relief.

"You're alright!" Two voices said, I looked to my left and saw Hermione's bushy head grinning down at me, tears sparkling in her eyes.

"What happened?"

"You vhere hit by the snow from the roof of that building." Krum stepped up behind Hermione, a smirk on his ugly, surly, face. Fred's eyes narrowed even more as he glanced at Krum before turning back to me.

"No ones really sure, the snow just avalanched at you. It was really, really, weird." Fred said, giving me a look that clearly said he wanted to talk more about it later. I gave my head an almost imperceptible nod so that he would know I got the message. I turned back to Hermione with an easy smile, trying to look like I was fine.

"Are you alright?"

"Yes," She said quickly, grasping my hand in hers. "You pushed me out of the way just in time. I climbed out before I was completely buried, but I couldn't get you out, my wand was buried with you. Krum showed up just in time and he freed you." I forced a grin and turned towards Krum, my stomach tying itself up in a knot at the smirk on his face. A dark thought crossed my mind, but I pushed it away, surely he wouldn't cause the avalanche just to look good to Hermione, I was just paranoid.

"We're lucky you were there." I said quietly, locking gazes with him. His grin faltered for half a second, but it was quickly back in place.

"Ja."

"What time is it?"

"2:30" Fred replied, brushing a strand of hair from my eyes as he looked me over again. Bollocks, if it was already that late then my date with Hermione was pretty much over. She'd have to get back to Harry.

Hermione's grip on my hand tightened, almost like she knew what I was thinking. "George," she started. I cut her off, shaking my head and grinning good naturedly.

"Nah, it's okay, Hermione. You can go on, I'll catch up with you again. Tell Harry I'll check Zonko's for him." She frowned at me, looking uncertain. I sat up without assistance and smiled at her again.

"Are you sure?" She questioned, studying me with her piercing eyes. I nodded my head, still keeping the grin up. I was good at faking my emotions, only Fred could ever tell I was faking.

"Yeah, go ahead, Love, Harry needs your help. He's running out of time." She nodded her head, but was still frowning. She looked indecisive for a moment, and then she leaned forward, pressing a firm, quick kiss to my lips.

"I'll see you tonight." she said, before standing and running back towards Hogwarts.

It was my turn to smirk at Krum.

* * *

><p><em>AN: Hey again! Okay, time to answer some questions :): First, you're going to find out who was watching them later on, and it'll be creepy, I guarantee it :D Second, yes, Hermione will be Krum's most missed person, so, you'll get to see Georgie's reaction to that :p Third, I don't pre-write stories. It's just what I do every night while my hubby is watching tv :) it keeps me busy, I am somewhat ADHD so I like to multi task. It's also extremely relaxing for me and I have a blast doing it. _

_Now, I have a question for you guys, first, Do you think I should continue this past fourth year? Second, would you like to see Krum and Katie get together? And third, what part of this story do you like best? (Romance, twin interaction, random other stuff…) Thanks! (also, are than any questions you want to ask me? I'm happy to answer them :D)_


	23. Chapter 23

"Do you realize how bad that was?" Fred asked again as we walked out of Zonko's. I slouched and shook my head, feeling annoyed and nettled.

"Yes, Fred, I do realize. I was the one that was hurt." I was working really, really, hard not to show just how upset I was by the whole thing. I honestly just wanted to grab hold of Fred and cry on him, but there was no way I was going to let myself break down that much. So, to protect my manly ego, I was keeping it together, but just barely and Fred's constant questioning was not helping me.

"Yeah, but I felt it too!" that stopped me in my tracks. Why had that never occurred to me? I had felt myself losing the connection to Fred, but I had never thought of the fact that he'd probably felt me fading as well. How dense was that?

I turned towards Fred and was surprised to see that his eyes were damp, as though he was holding back tears. Great, if he started crying there was absolutely no way I'd be able to stop myself from crying with him. I'd be blubbering all over him.

"That's twice this year you've been really hurt." He went on, balling his hands into fist.

"Yeah, but I'm alright. Don't worry about it, nothing happened. We're okay." I said, stepping towards him and placing a hand on his shoulder. I squeezed the shoulder under my hand, trying to bring him some comfort, but also trying to reassure myself that he was alright. I was still feeling a little shaken about nearly losing our connection. He brought his hand up to my shoulder, squeezing it as well. We stayed like that for a moment, and then without a word we were both walking again.

"Funny how Krum just happened to be there though." I said, sort of changing the subject.

"Yeah, I was thinking the same thing… He's been following her more since you both fought." Fred commented, looking at me with an appraising air. I turned towards him sharply, feeling myself scowl fiercely.

"He's what?"

"I kept up with her while you two weren't talking. Discreetly of course, but he was hanging around her a lot. I think he's trying to hook her again." He looked tense as he spoke, as though he wasn't sure what my reaction was going to be.

"Like heck!" I snapped, gripping my bag forcefully. We'd reached Hogwarts gates by now and I was glad of it. I needed to find Hermione and make sure that Krum was nowhere near her. Fred told me he hadn't told her just how bad I'd been hurt, and that she hadn't guessed it. He'd showed up the moment her and Krum were pulling me from the ice, and he'd taken care of me. While I didn't want her worrying about me, I wasn't sure I didn't want her knowing I had nearly, well, that it had been bad.

"Come on, George, we'll go find her and Harry. We can work on the charms tomorrow."

"I think I'd rather check on her and then work on the charms." Fred studied me again but nodded his head.

"Alright, Georgie."

-o-O-o-

We spent the rest of the day doing just that, and by that night we had a pretty good idea of how we could add a time limit to the candies. Lee hadn't shown up at all, probably choosing to spend the day with his Valentine, lucky dog.

On that matter, it was now night, and I was going to get to spend it with my own valentine. She was sitting in the common room, curled up on a cushy chair going through a really thick book that made her usual books look like short stories. It honestly look like it would hurt her lap.

I stole up behind her, being careful to be quiet in the nearly empty room. she didn't hear me coming, so I was able to reach her unnoticed. I placed my hands on the back of her chair and then swooped over the edge of it, placing a chaste kiss to her cheek. She let out a squeak of surprise before realizing it was me. Her arms shot out to me, pulling me around the chair and to her chest in a very firm, and close, hug.

"George!" She exclaimed, burying her head in my shoulder. I gripped her back, feeling surprised, but happy. I'd hold her close any time she wanted me too. No one was in the Common room, so her dramatic display wasn't going to be noticed by anyone but me.

"Woah," I said, bringing my hand up to stroke her hair, "what's up?"

"I missed you." She said, blushing slightly.

"Well, I might spend more time away from you then if it gets that sort of a reaction." I told her with a grin. She blushed again and scooted over in her oversized chair so that there was room for me as well. I squeezed in next to her, thrilled with the close quarters, and wrapped an arm around her.

"Whatcha reading?" I questioned, looking at the thick book slightly distrusting.

"Another volume on water charms."

"Anything good?" I asked, squeezing her tighter.

"No, nothing on it yet." She said with a frown. I reached into my robe pocket with a little trouble and extracted her present. I'd bought it weeks ago, but I hadn't had a chance to give it to her for obvious reasons. It was probably silly, but I'd seen it in Tomes and Scrolls and couldn't help but think of her.

"What's this?" She asked as I handed it to her. I grinned, feeling slightly nervous.

"Generally people open presents to figure out what's inside."

She grinned shyly at me before taking the small package. She opened it up slowly, being careful not to rip the paper. She opened the little black box and let out a gasp when she saw what was inside.

"Oh George." She breathed, turning towards me and pressing a kiss to my lips. She pulled back after a moment, positively beaming. "Put it on me, please?" I nodded my head and grabbed the necklace from the box. It was a delicate silver chain with a small charm of a book on it. I put it around her neck, grinning when I saw that she had pulled her hair aside. I clasped it slowly, and then, on the spur of the moment, I pressed a kiss to the spot where I clasped it. She gasped in surprise, and then shivered as I pressed another kiss to her. She moaned after a third, and turned in my hold, kissing me on the mouth.

I ran my hand through her smooth hairs, thoroughly mussing her curls, and ran my other hand down to her waist, tugging her hips closer to mine. She pressed herself closer, opening her mouth and inviting me to deepen the kiss, a chance that I very eagerly took. Her hands found their way into my own hair and tugged at my locks, making me clutch at her tighter.

It ended up to be a _very_ good Valentine's day after all.

-o-O-o-

The rest of that month absolutely melted away. I have never seen time move by so quickly. Poor Harry was looking worse every day, he had even stopped eating again. We had one night left to find a solution, and every last one of us, Fred, Hermione, Ron, Harry, and I, were frantically searching through every book we could get hold of. I had never looked through so many books in my life. If we ever found an answer for Harry, Fred and I would have enough material to start a thousand different prank products.

We sat in the library, searching through the books as the traitorous sun set behind us. It almost seemed to mock us. 'Ha, you've run out of time! Try and stay under water now!' We each had a massive pile of books on the desk in front of us, and we were facing what without doubt would be a sleepless night.

"I don't reckon it can be done," Ron said suddenly and flatly from the other side of the table. I looked up at the same time as everyone else, frowning as he glared at his book. We didn't have time for negativity. We didn't have time period, it was getting near midnight again… Ms. Pince was allowing us to stay late solely because of the task, it didn't hurt that she liked Hermione as well.

"There's nothing. Nothing. Closest was that thing to dry up puddles and ponds, that Drought Charm, but that was nowhere near powerful enough to drain the lake." Way to be positive Ron, always was his strong suit. I started to tell him where he could shove his negativity, but I was beat by Hermione.

"There must be something," She muttered fiercely, moving a candle closer to her. Her eyes were so tired she was poring over the tiny print of Olde and Forgotten Bewitchments and Charmes with her nose about an inch from the page. Her body was hunched over and she had a frown on her face. She looked ill, she'd not slept much more than Harry had. "They'd never have set a task that was undoable." She insisted.

"They have," Ron declared. "Harry, just go down to the lake tomorrow, right, stick your head in, yell at the merpeople to give back whatever they've nicked, and see if they chuck it out. Best you can do, mate." Fred looked up at that, frowning in disgust.

"There's a way of doing it!" Hermione said crossly. "There Just has to be!"

"I know what I should have done," said Harry, resting, face-down, on Saucy Tricks for Tricky Sorts. "I should've learned to be an Animagus like Sir- my dad."

"Yeah, you could've turned into a goldfish any time you wanted!" Ron said. I chucked a piece of wadded up parchment at him.

"Or a frog," Harry yawned.

"Why be that boring?" I questioned. "Why not try something exotic?"

"Yeah, like a turtle?" Fred joked. I grinned over at him, not missing the slight smile that tugged Harry's lips up.

"It takes years to become an Animagus, and then you have to register yourself and everything," Hermione said quietly, her eyes growing red with exhaustion. "Professor McGonagall told us, remember... you've got to register yourself with the Improper Use of Magic Office ...what animal you become, and your markings, so you can't abuse it..."

"Hermione, I was joking," Harry said wearily. "I know I haven't got a chance of turning into a frog by tomorrow morning..."

"Oh this is no use," Hermione said, snapping shut her books. "Who on earth wants to make their nose hair grow into ringlets?"

"I wouldn't mind," Fred said with a grin. "Be a talking point, wouldn't it?"

"Ron? Hermione?" We all looked up in surprise as Neville walked around the corner. "McGonagall's searching for you both."

"What?" Hermione and Ron both asked. I was feeling confused too. She couldn't be getting onto them for helping Harry, she'd have pulled Fred and me with them.

"She wants to see you." Neville said again. Hermione shot me a look before pushing her chair back. She got up and waited for Ron before leaving with him.

"You all had probably better go to bed. We won't find the answer tonight, you need a good nights rest, Harry." Hermione said quietly, rubbing her eye. Harry raised a hand, not lifting his head from the book it had fallen on. I wouldn't be surprised if he had already passed out.

Ron and her both disappeared around the corner with Neville and I watched her leave with a small frown. I probably should have been worried, but I was too tired to focus properly. I hadn't slept for two days, we'd spent the entire weekend studying nonstop. I closed my book and pushed my chair back with Fred.

"Come on," We said together, lifting a nearly unconscious Harry up. I couldn't recall the last time he had slept a full night. According to Ron he'd not been getting to bed till well after midnight, and he'd been leaving before five. I knew Harry pretty well from all the time he'd spent at our house and the years in Gryffindor, and he was not an early riser by any means.

Harry mumbled something unintelligible and grabbed at a book. His hands fumbled with it and he dropped it. "No," he managed, "I've got to find a solution-I can't sleep." I looked at Fred over the top of Harry's head and he nodded his head. He reached into his robe pocket and pulled out a small vial. We'd been carrying a sleeping solution on us because we'd been too exhausted to fall asleep recently.

"Sorry about this, mate." Fred muttered as he uncapped it. Harry turned towards him with wide eyes as I gripped his shoulders.

"Yeah, you'll forgive us in the morning." I finished as he poured the potion down Harry's lips. His protest died on his lips as he fell fast asleep. Fred and I picked him up and headed towards the Common Room. We'd spend the rest of the night researching for him. Lee had come up with an idea, but we'd have to sneak into Snape's stores to make it work. We needed Harry to be safely tucked away with an alibi. If he was going to survive tomorrows task, he'd have to be well rested and in one piece.

* * *

><p><em>AN: Hey again! Still curious about those questions.__ Do you think I should continue this past fourth year? Second, would you like to see Krum and Katie get together? And third, what part of this story do you like best? (Romance, twin interaction, random other stuff…) Thanks! (also, are than any questions you want to ask me? I'm happy to answer them :D)_

_Please don't forget to leave a review :D_


	24. Chapter 24

"Harry," I called, leaning over his lanky form with a very mischievous grin. Fred poked him in the shoulder from the other side of the bed, laughing when Harry groaned and just rolled over.

"Come on, Sleeping Beauty. You've got a lot of taksing to do today." Fred said, pushing him back over. Harry moaned and then sat up abruptly.

"Merlin's beard!" He yelped, looking from Fred to me with very panicked eyes. "I'm dead!"

"Nonsense." Fred said with a wave of his hand.

"But I can't stay under water for an hour without breathing!"

"Which is why you've got friends." I said, grinning at him.

"See, Harry, last night we went for a little stroll around the castle and came across something quite interesting." Fred said.

"Yes, we were checking out Snape's stores for a certain herb." I continued, grinning at Harry's obvious panic and confusion.

"When we happened upon a little house-elf looking at the same thing."

"Yes, master Harry!" a high voice squeaked. Harry jumped before turning to face a very excited Dobby. I couldn't believe we had found him stealing the Gillyweed before we could get there. Apparently great minds thought alike.

"We've solved your problem. You can win!" He squeaked, holding out his hand. Harry looked at it with upraised eyebrows, frowning when he saw the strange looking little weed.

"Dobby, what is that?"

"Gillyweed!" We all three chorused together. The fact that Fred and I clearly knew what the plant was just seemed to make Harry more uncomfortable, though I really can't imagine why. Can you imagine two more trustworthy blokes? I didn't think so. We just scream trustworthy.

"Master Harry must hurry!" Dobby said, pushing the weed into Harry's hand. "You have ten minutes before the tasks starts." He explained.

"Yeah, sorry about that, mate." Fred said with an apologetic look.

"We meant to get you up a little earlier, but you were having none of it."

Dobby looked from Fred to me with wide eyes, apparently not quite sure what to make of us. I didn't blame him, most people couldn't handle our dashing good looks too well. "You is needing to go save your Wheezy." He continued, turning back to Harry with his big eyes. What the heck was a Wheezy?

"My Wheezy?" Harry asked just as clueless.

"Your Wheezy, sir, your Wheezy-Wheezy who is giving Dobby his sweater!"

Dobby plucked at the shrunken maroon sweater he was now wearing over his shorts and Fred and I realized what he was saying at the same moment as Harry. Fred and I sucked in a painful breath as we looked at the short figure.

Dumbledore had stolen our brother and it was up to Harry to get him back.

"What?" Harry gasped. "They've got. . . they've got Ron?"

"The thing you will miss most!" Dobby exclaimed. Fred and I both grabbed hold of Harry's arm, pulling him out of the bed. We had one hour to get Ron back. The end of that blasted verse was echoing around in my head, making me more ill by the moment.

But past an hour the prospect's black, too late, it's gone, it won't come back.

My baby brother was buried in a lake that housed some of the nastiest sea creatures, I couldn't even come up with words to describe how badly that was scaring me. We handed Harry his robe, summoning the rest of his close as we packed his bag. Harry pulled his clothes on in somewhat of a hurried daze, looking ill as we rushed him out.

We had to split up at the stands. Harry went on to the judges while Fred and I took a seat next to Neville, Lee, Angelina, Alicia, Seamus, and Dean. My eyes scanned the crowd for Hermione, but I didn't see her. I didn't have enough time to really focus on that fact either. Pretty much the moment I realized she wasn't there the event started. I couldn't find Ginny either, but I figured that was for the best.

"Well, all our champions are ready for the second task, which will start on my whistle. They have precisely an hour to recover what has been taken from them. On the count of three, then. One . . . two . . . three!" Bagman blew his whistle sharply, and the shrill noise echoed around the air before the stands erupted with applause. Fred and I didn't clap, so Lee looked at us with clear worry.

Harry pulled off his shoes and socks, pulled the handful of gillyweed out of his pocket, stuffed it into his mouth, and waded out into the lake. He shook visibly from the cold of the water, but a steely look had come over his features. I felt myself relax minutely at the look. I knew he'd do whatever it took to get my brother back, but I hoped he didn't get hurt or killed in the process. That would be as bad as losing two brothers.

He froze suddenly, throwing his head back in a voiceless scream of pain, his hands flying to his neck. He twisted and then dived head first into the water, disappearing from our sight.

All we could do now was wait.

-o-O-o-

And once again I found myself waiting on the sidelines while one of my siblings were in life threatening danger. Nothing compares to how awful this feeling is. This was terrible, the worst punishment imaginable. We were stuck on the surface, not able to do anything while we waited for Harry to save our brother.

Ron had always been our responsibility. We'd had so many siblings growing up that mum had instituted a watch order of sorts. We each looked out for the sibling younger than us. Percy watched us, and we watched Ron. He was our responsibility, which is why we'd always been pranking him. We put the little guy through hell, but we also protected him fiercely. No one, _no one_, messed with our family.

Watching Harry go after him now was like we'd handed our brother over to someone else. Like we'd dropped the responsibility for him. I found myself flashing back to our forth year when Ginny was locked in the chamber all by herself.

It had nearly been an hour, where was he?

I let my eyes scan the water, praying for any sign of them when the water exploded with two bodies breaking the surface. It was Cedric and Cho. Applause broke out across the stands, but our entire row had grown deathly quiet. I think they'd finally figured out why Ron wasn't here, and why Fred and I looked ill on account of it.

"Oh my god," Dean muttered, looking at the water in shock.

"Ron?" Lee questioned, leaning over the railing to look at the water more clearly.

"We think." Fred and I said together. At that moment the water broke again, and Krum rose to the surface, pulling a painfully familiar bushy haired girl with him.

Hermione was the thing he'd miss most.

Oh _heck_ no.

I was out of the stand and heading towards her before I even became aware I had moved. Fred was right behind me shouting something, but I couldn't hear past the pounding in my ears. Three emotions had completely filled me and threatened to consume me: Rage, fear (for Ron and Harry) and jealously. I was beyond mad. They had not only taken my baby brother-who still hadn't returned yet- but they'd also taken my girl friend. Both without their permission, and put them in incredible danger!

I got out of the stands and ran for the front of the dock, kneeling down and reaching for a just waking Hermione. She flailed around in Krum's arms, looking terrified. Krum tried to hold onto her and continue swimming for us, but he was having trouble holding her.

"Hermione!" I called, hoping she'd see me and calm down. She heard my voice and turned towards me, her wide eyes terrified. She reached out for me and I helped pull her out of the water, ignoring Krum. The judges were surrounding us a moment later, saying something but I still wasn't hearing them. My ears were thundering and my heart was pounding as I pulled her to my chest. She was soaking wet and freezing, but I didn't mind at all. I just held her all the tighter.

"Hey!" Krum said, trying to catch Hermione's attention again. She ignored him and held me a little tighter. For the first time I could ever remember, I was furious at Dumbledore. The crazy old bat has always had my loyalty and undying support, but right now, holding a freezing Hermione and worrying about my brother, I was beyond angry at him. How could he put them in unnecessary danger?

Fred appeared from behind me and wrapped a towel around both of us, saying something as he placed a light hand on my shoulder. I looked up to see him more clearly, trying to calm my panicked state, and I saw Ginny run up behind Fred, a horrified look on her face.

"Merlin's Beard, is Ron out there with Harry?" She gasped, looking from me to Fred to Hermione with wide eyes.

"Yeah, we think so." Fred answered, looking out at the lake with a fierce frown.

"I'm alright, George, I'm fine. It's okay." I realized Hermione was talking to me and that I had her in a vice grip. I took a breath and relaxed my hold slightly, allowing her to move a little. She pulled back from me, trying to look at my eyes.

She brought a cold hand up to my cheek, but I didn't mind the chill at all. "I'm fine, George. Dumbledore had it all taken care of, we weren't in any danger."

I knew I was over reacting, but I couldn't stop myself, I couldn't calm down, I was still having trouble focusing. My heart was still racing and my blood was still pounding. Krum had backed off, and it was a good thing for him because I was seconds away from pounding him. I really needed to get a grip but I wasn't able too. I was too tired to think really straight, Fred and I hadn't got to bed until well after three.

Where was Harry and Ron? It had been way over an hour now.

Again, almost the moment I thought it the surface of the water broke as Ron and a little blonde girl clawed at the surface. Ron instantly grabbed a hold of the flailing girl and started to swim for the dock. The girl relaxed into his hold, tears streaking down her porcelain cheeks. Clearly she was related to Fleur.

The relief I had from seeing Ron alive and alright lasted for only a second before another thought struck my head. Why wasn't Harry with them?

We all rushed to the edge of the dock and pulled both Ron and the girl out of the water.

"Can I get a blanket too?" Ron asked, letting Fred and me pull him up as Ginny and Hermione went for the little girl. Hermione grinned at him, shaking a little from the cold.

"Maybe you can explain to them that we're okay." She said, reaching for two blankets she wrapped them around Ron as Ginny pulled him into a fierce hug.

"Mi seester!" Fleur appeared out of no where and pulled the girl to her chest in a fiercely protective move, tears filling her eyes.

"What are you lot all worried about? Dumbledore had it under control." Ron said, sounding surprised that we were worried.

"That's what I said!" Hermione exclaimed, smiling as she wrapped her arm around me again.

"Where's Ha-" Hermione started, but she was erupted by an explosion of water as a body shot out of the water and onto the dock. The quaking body of Harry landed right in front of us, coughing as he spewed water out onto the deck. Hermione and Ron moved faster than I could blink, and they both had their own blankets off and around him.

"Harry!" She exclaimed as Ron smacked his back.

"Quick, judges, together." Dumbledore called before turning to speak with the rest of the judges. I turned back towards Harry with wide eyes. While he might not intimidate me, even I had to admit, that was impressive.

My entire family was safe again, at least for a moment.

* * *

><p><em>AN: __Please don't forget to leave a review :D_


	25. Chapter 25

"You're watching me again." Hermione commented without raising her eyes. I grinned embarrassedly, nodding my head. I'd been caught.

It was really late, at least eleven. Hermione was sitting at her favorite couch, her books spread out on the table in front of her as she caught up on her homework. I was sitting on the floor across from her, working on some equations for our fever fudge. I couldn't focus on my work though, my eyes kept drifting back to her. I was still feeling on edge from this afternoon, and honestly, I was feeling vulnerable. I mean, I'm not the most attractive guy in the world, I have no money, and I'm not incredibly clever. My sense of humor is my best attribute, and that goes over the top at times.

Hermione was being pursued by someone who was extremely handsome, painfully rich, rather smart, and unbelievable famous. She pretty much had a guy that any girl would kill to have, mooning over her. I really couldn't compete with him, and I was scared she'd go for him. I was scared she'd wake up at some moment, look over at me and go 'why am I with this guy when I could have him?'

I really needed to get some sleep. I was being silly, I know, but I couldn't help it. I was nervous and angry and extremely jealous.

"Why do you keep watching me?" She asked, raising her eyes this time and capturing mine with hers.

"I like to watch you." I said simply, studying her. She grinned softly before biting her bottom lip in a slightly self conscious way.

"You do?"

"Yes." I said, studying her again.

"I can't be all that interesting." She countered. I sat up and leaned forward on my knees so I was leaning over the table, closer to her.

"Ah contraire, mademoiselle." I said with a slight French accent. She grinned softly, her eyes still locked on mine, a slightly vulnerable look in their brown depths. "You are quite interesting, and beautiful." I said, whispering the last words.

"George," she started. I stopped her with a finger to the lip.

"No, I mean it, Hermione." I said, standing up and walking around the table until I was sitting next to her. "I like watching you." I tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, brushing her cheek as I brought my hand back around.

"I like watching you as well." She said softly, blushing at her statement. I grinned at her, feeling oddly relieved. She lowered her eyes and fidgeted with her hands awkwardly. "George?" She asked.

"Yes?" I encouraged, grasping her hand.

"Would you mind… I mean, could I…" She trailed off again, looking unsure how to pose her question.

"Just spit it out, Hermione. You know I'm not particularly gifted at mind reading." She blushed even more brightly, glancing around the nearly empty Common Room.

"Could I lean against you?" I grinned excitedly, holding my arms open and swinging my legs off the couch so that she could move closer to me. She did after a moment, settling into my arms with a satisfied sigh. I tightened my grip on her and couldn't stop my grin as she leaned back into me. Even though we'd been dating for over two months she was still shy about touching, seeming un sure as to what I would be okay with. I think she wasn't getting the fact that I was a guy and I thrived on touching. I was slowly getting her to realize it though.

She opened her book again, one on charms, and started to flip through the pages again. I found myself reading the book with her, and it was actually fun. I was enjoying reading with Hermione. Funny enough, but moments like these were becoming my absolute favorite times. Not our dates, just moments like these. Peaceful, calm, fun, almost perfect. It seemed like there was no one else in the world but us two. We read for a while longer until we were the only ones in the common room. Hermione hadn't stirred for a while, and I realized with a start that she was asleep. She'd fallen asleep in my arms.

I grinned at her, gently brushing her hair aside before closing my own eyes and following her into the peaceful oblivion of sleep.

For the first time in a long while, I wasn't even slightly worried about Krum.

-o-O-o-

We are halfway through March! Fifteen more days and Fred and I will be of age. Watch out world, we will be allowed to do magic anywhere anytime!

On a side note, I still haven't managed to complete my plan to get Krum back. The Bulgarian has started to avoid me for some reason, maybe he finally got a hold of some brains.

Fred and I made our way to the Gryffindor table and settled down next to Hermione and Lee. She gave me a quick side hug as I sat, which I returned with a kiss to the top of her head.

"Morning, love." I said, grabbing myself a sausage and egg.

"Good morning to you, as well." She replied, grabbing my hand under the table and giving it a little squeeze. I smiled at the action before tucking into my breakfast. Hermione was officially getting comfortable with touching me, she would initiate hugs, initiate kisses, and even lean into me when I was sitting on the couch. I was slowly dragging her out of her shy shell, and it was going to be pure bliss once I finally had her out.

"Oh good, the mails here!" Hermione exclaimed suddenly, pointing towards a great gray owl that was heading towards us.

"Expecting a letter?" I asked with a small grin, feeling only slightly worried. She was working on her shyness, I was working on my jealously.

"No, it's not that," She said, her eyes on the gray owl, "I've taken out a subscription to the Daily Prophet. I'm getting sick of finding everything out from the Slytherins."

"Good thinking!" Harry said, dropping his fork and looking up at the owls. "Hey, Hermione, I think you're in luck -" The gray owl was soaring down towards Hermione but he wasn't carrying the Prophet.

"It hasn't got a newspaper, though," she said, looking thoroughly disappointed. "It's -"

The owl landed on her plate anyway, along with six others. Who was writing to her and since when had she gotten so popular? Who was I kidding, she'd been annoyingly popular all year. The question was, who was writing her instead of just coming up and talking to her?

"How many subscriptions did you take out?" Harry asked, catching her goblet before it was knocked over by the cluster of owls, all of whom were jostling closer to her, trying to deliver their own letter first. I swallowed my bite of egg and looked over at her expectantly.

"What on earth - ?" she said, taking the letter from the gray owl, opening it, and starting to read. "Oh really!" She sputtered, turning red and looking horrified.

"What is?" I asked, feeling extremely worried now. Tears were threatening to fill her eyes as she read the letter.

"It's - oh how ridiculous -" She thrust the letter at me and I picked it up. It looked like a ransom note or something, all the words were cut out from the Prophet. It was creepy enough by it's self, but the message made my blood boil.

YOU'RE A WICKED GIRL. HARRY POTTER DESERVES BETTER. GO BACK WHERE YOU CAME FROM MUGGLE.

"They're all like it!" She exclaimed as I finished the letter. "'Harry Potter can do much better than the likes of you. . . .' 'You deserve to be boiled in frog spawn. . . .' Ouch!"

She had just opened a yellow envelope, and a greenish pus poured out of it, covering her hands which erupted into large yellow boils. I recognized the substance in an instance, being a prankster. Apparently Ron did as well.

"Undiluted bubotuber pus!" He gasped, picking up the envelope gingerly and sniffing it. I had turned towards Hermione in horror and was trying to get the pus off her fingers with my napkin, but her poor little hands were covered in so many sores that I couldn't touch her without hurting her. Fury began to fill me as my eyes shot back to the unmarked envelope.

"Grab that, Fred." I told him, standing up and helping Hermione out of the bench. "We're going to the hospital wing." I turned towards Harry once I had Hermione free of the bench. "Tell Sprout what happened, she'll give her the day."

I turned back towards Hermione and wrapped my arm around her shoulders before helping her run out of the hall. I didn't give her a chance to object, just taking her out and away. Tears were streaming down her cheeks and rage had tied my stomach up in an extremely unhappy knot. I hope Fred had gotten my message and kept that envelope. I was going to but a back tracing charm on it and find out just who had sent it. They were going to be getting a taste of their own medicine along with a letter telling the truth. Very rarely in my life had I wanted to hurt someone as much as I wanted to hurt whoever had just sent that letter.

My list of people to get back was getting rather long.

-o-O-o-

"Hermione? Are you alright?" I asked, sneaking around the curtain that was blocking her bed. Pomfrey had kicked me out of the hospital the minute I'd brought Hermione. She'd ushered her away and towards this spot. I'd waited exactly ten minutes, and then I snuck back in.

Pomfrey would kick me away if she found me in here, but no way I was leaving Hermione alone.

"I'm fine George." She said quietly, her voice still thick from crying. She was sitting on the edge of the bed, her back to me. Her soft curls were hanging down her back, and her thin shoulders were barely showing through them. She made no move to turn around and face me.

I moved around the bed, and bit back a gasp as I saw what was going on. She had her hands in a bowl of brown goo, and her sore covered hands were bleeding profusely into the bowl. Her face was covered in tears and she was nearly shaking from the force of them. I sat down on the edge of the bed, feeling like someone had just dropped a stone into my stomach.

"Oh, Hermione." I breathed out, dropping down next to her and wrapping my arm around her shoulder. She turned her head towards me, tears staring to spill out of her eyes again and she pressed her face into my shoulder, tears freely falling as she wept against me.

"Alright Miss Granger. That should be long enough-what are you doing here?" Pomfrey's voice came behind us, but I didn't move. I heard her make a disgruntled 'hrumph' but then she heard Hermione.

"I'll just take that bowl." She said quietly, leaving us alone. Hermione wrapped her arms around me, crying even harder as I held her tighter.

"I'm scared." She whimpered, mumbling the words into my robe. I stroked her hair, feeling even angrier. "I'm scared to open my mail."

"Then let me." I said quickly, lifting her chin up quickly. "I'll do it for you."

She froze, tears still falling down her cheeks as she looked at me with large, surprised eyes. "You-you'd do that for me?" She questioned. I nodded my head, feeling self conscious, would she get mad? I'd only meant be nice, to be helpful.

She pressed a hard kiss to my lips, making me forget my own name, let alone that fear.

She pulled away after a moment though and grabbed me back in a hug. "You don't have to, George."

"I know," I said, coming back to earth slowly and raising my arms to hold her again, "but I want to."

-o-O-o-

"No, no! It's supposed to be five tendrils of Venitain Homocus!" Fred shouted behind me. I turned in time to see him throw his body over the top of his cauldron protectively, blocking Lee from dropping his ingredient in. Lee sent Fred a fierce scowl and shook his head.

"This is Venetian Homocus!" He exclaimed, trying to pry Fred off the cauldron so he could see the pink spotted leaves.

"But that's the new born stuff." Fred stated, still blocking the cauldron.

"Am I going to have to separate you two?" I asked, smacking my chalk against my hand in a disapproving manor like Binnis always did. Fred and Lee both looked up, smiling slightly sheepishly.

"No," Lee apologized, straightening up and setting the rejected plant aside.

"It was his fault again." Fred insisted, sitting up and dusting off his robes. Lee stuck his tongue out at my twin.

"Was not."

"Was too."

"No, I gotta go with Lee on this one Fred. You didn't specify the age of the plant." I cut in, turning back to the board.

"Really?" Fred asked, sounding surprised. "My mistake then. Get me some _old_ Venitain Homocus." Lee nodded his head, grinning.

"It will be my pleasure." He said with an exaggerated bow. He turned back to our stock and grabbed an older version of the plant, pulling off five tendrils."Will this suffice?"

"Yes." Fred said in a pompous voice that reminded me so much of Percy I couldn't help but laugh at the sound of it.

"You both are mental." I said, finishing up my equation for the fever fudge.

"And proud of it!" Fred and Lee said together. I grinned at them over my shoulder before turning back to my board. I had a half hour before Hermione would be finished with Arithmancy, and then I'd probably hang out with her while I did some more research on the daydream charms.

"Is it boiling yet?" Lee questioned, settling down on the ground beside Fred with a somewhat bored expression.

"No."

"You know the saying, a watched cauldron never boils." I said, smirking. "While you're waiting, why don't you finish up that batch of Ton Tongue Toffee's?" Lee made a face and shook his head. He couldn't stand toffee's.

"Don't you have a date with Hermione?" He asked, probably hoping I would change my mind. I checked the clock and grinned. If I left now I could probably find them heading back to the common room..

"Yes, I do, but you have a date with those toffee's." I said, tossing my chalk onto the board and heading for the exit.

"The water's boiling!" Fred exclaimed as I left.

I ran down the hall, excitement filling me at the thought of spending the day with Hermione. I passed the third floor corridor, where her class was, and I saw the Trio walking in front of me. I ran up behind them, catching drift of their conversation.

"Aren't you two ever going to read Hogwarts, A History?" Hermione asked sounding exasperated.

"What's the point?" Ron asked. "You know it by heart, we can just ask you."

"All those substitutes for magic Muggles use - electricity, computers, and radar, and all those things -they all go haywire around Hogwarts, there's too much magic in the air. No, Rita's using magic to eavesdrop, she must be. ... If I could just find out what it is ... ooh, if it's illegal, I'll have her ..."

"Haven't we got enough to worry about?" Ron asked her. "Do we have to start a vendetta against Rita Skeeter as well?"

"I'm not asking you to help!" Hermione snapped. "I'll do it on my own!" She marched past them angrily, headed towards the marble staircase that led to the library.

I ran past them, ignoring their yells, and headed after Hermione. They didn't get why she was so mad. Harry might have, but Ron couldn't. He hadn't had all those lies told about him, he hadn't had his hands wrapped in so many bandages that he couldn't move his fingers. He hadn't had to be scared to look at his mail, let alone actually open it.

I ran up the stairs, taking the steps two at a time in my haste to catch up to her. I managed to reach her just before she reached the library.

"Hermione!" I called, skidding to a stop beside her and breathing a little heavily. She turned towards me with a frown until she saw it was me.

"George?" She asked, sounding slightly worried.

"I saw you running this way and wanted to ask if I could join you." I said, catching my breath again. she smiled softly at me and nodded her head.

"If you don't mind hanging out with someone who is apparently too stupid to leave well enough alone." She said bitterly.

"I've never left well enough alone, love." I said with a mischievous grin. She grinned at me, looking happier and straightened up.

"Then you're just what I need."

I followed her into the library with a big grin, not caring that I was voluntarily going into this room _again._ I'd practically just spent the last month of my life here, and Hermione was already coming back for more. It was one of the reasons I liked her though. She liked what she liked and she went with it regardless of how others took it. (An example would be SPEW-an organization I'm now part of. She asked me to join after we made up from our fight. I was a little fuzzy minded from the intense snogging session we'd just had, so I'd said yes without much thought.)

I sat next to her and opened my notebook and the charm book that I'd found the dream charm in. I grabbed a self inking quill out of my bag (something Fred and I had made during a _long_ history of magic lecture.) and began to go over the spell again. I took it apart to its basic pieces, putting them through several formulas to see how it worked. I was trying to decide if it would be possible to make it into a potion that we could turn into a candy, or if it would be something we'd need to make a candy for, and then charm to do what we wanted. I was leaning towards charming it right now, but I needed to do some more research to be sure.

This was the boring part of inventing, but it was necessary. However, it was much more fun when I was sitting next to a particularly hot witch that had her hand on mine and was stroking her thumb against the back of my hand in a way that was maddeningly innocent. She had no idea of the affect she could have on me. She didn't realize how hard I had to hold myself back sometimes not to completely ravish her beautiful body.

I wasn't even sure she knew about all of that, she was only fifteen after all…

I shifted around in my seat, uncomfortably warm as those kinds of images filled my mind. Images of a hot and sweaty nature, Hermione, myself, an abandoned broom closet…

"George? You feeling alright?" Hermione's soft voice drew me back to reality, and to the fact that I was grasping her hand more firmly in my own. Merlin, that could have been embarrassing. Thank Godric I wasn't prone to talking in my daydreams.

"I'm fine, Love." I said with a smile. She looked at me suspiciously so I turned in my seat to grab at my bag. I pulled a bottle of water out of it in hopes that I could cool myself down.

"George," A voice I hadn't heard in a while sounded behind me and I jumped, tensing up and turning around with a very disapproving frown, gripping Hermione's hand tighter.

"Yes, Katie?"

"I wanted to apologize for everything I did back at Christmas." She said, stepping closer to me. Her eyes shot to Hermione and narrowed briefly before they turned back to me. "I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me."

I blinked at her, feeling stiff and extremely uncomfortable. I had already been uncomfortable from how in to my daydream about Hermione I had gotten into, but that discomfort completely faded at the sight of Katie. She was still scary. She hadn't said anything to me since the Yule ball, but she hadn't stopped watching me. She just did it quietly now, which honestly was even more unnerving.

"Umm, sure Katie. As long as you've accepted the fact that it's Hermione that I'm dating." She cringed at my words but nodded her head slowly, seeming unwilling to admit that I was dating Hermione.

"Alright, I'll see you later, George." With those words she turned around and headed back down the aisle, leaving me and Hermione alone again.

"Well that was weird." I said with a frown. Hermione nodded her agreement, frowning fiercely at Katie's retreating back. I took a sip of my water without a thought and froze as the cool liquid hit the back of my throat. There was something not quite right with the flavor. I turned towards Hermione with wide eyes, intending on telling her to get Fred, but my thoughts grew fuzzy and I couldn't move as the world around me faded away.

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><p><em>AN: __Thansk for reading, and remember, reviews are love so don't forget to leave one! :D_


	26. Chapter 26

_This is in Fred's point of view, I'll explain why in the chapter :) enjoy the chapter!_

"God, Angelina!" I gasped as she pressed a kiss to a particularly sensitive spot on my neck. The girl was bloody good at this, it was a wonder she hadn't driven me mental yet.

"I'm just getting started, Fred." She whispered into my ear, causing me to growl and flip us around so that she was no pressed into the wall. She gasped at the feel, giving me a chance to claim her mouth in a deep kiss, which she returned eagerly, wrapping her wonderfully long arms around me.

Lee and I had left shortly after George, it took five hours for the potion to cure, and neither of us were working on the toffees without George. It had blown up on us last time and it took me over a week to get that sludge out of my hair. We were all great inventors, but George was the one that kept us on track and on target. Lee and I tended to goof off a little too much when he wasn't around for safety.

Also, I obviously had a very good incentive to leave early. Angelina was waiting for me in the abandoned passage behind Gregory the Smarmy's statue. I loved the feel of having her body trapped beneath mine, loved the way she moaned and writhed beneath me. I ran my hands up her body, and things were about to get serious when I pulled away from her with a pained gasp. My head was pounding and I felt like I couldn't get enough oxygen. My stomach was turning and more warning bells than I'd been aware of were going off in my head.

George was in trouble.

I looked at Angelina with wild eyes, my heart pounding wildly in my chest as I stepped back. "Fred?" She questioned, her voice husky from the intense snogging we'd just been involved in. "Is something wrong?"

"George." Was all I could manage before I turned around and ran down the hall. Where could he be? I was trying not to give into the panic that was rising up in me, but I was about to lose. What had he said he was doing? Hermione probably, she'd be in the library if nothing was wrong.

I ran down the marble staircase, my thoughts consumed with my twin as I headed for him. I ran through the giant doors of the library, keenly aware of all the yelling I could hear at the end of the hall.

"ENOUGH! EVERYONE OUT!" Pince's high pitched voice came from the back of the library. A moment later sparks were flying as students fled the library. The guys looked uncomfortable while the girls were gossiping to each other excitedly. Not exactly the sort of scene you'd see if someone had been seriously injured… maybe George wasn't here.

Hermione ran past me right as I thought it, her head in her hands and tears streaming down her cheeks. My fear for George went into over drive and I threw myself in her path. She ran into me, bringing her arms down and looking up at me with eyes that were positively steaming with tears.

"George!" She hissed, her voice watery and furious beyond anything I had ever heard her say. I froze at the sight of it, my mind trying frantically to make everything I was seeing make sense. It was obviously failing because this was all just stupid and made no sense whatsoever.

"I'm Fred." I corrected quickly, noting that her hand was moving to grab her wand. Godric, I had to find George before she did, and then warn him to avoid her until I could help him sort whatever the hell had just happened out.

"Oh," She whimpered, dropping her hand from her pocket as she burst back into tears. My eyes widened and I looked down at her with worry, feeling awkward. I didn't know what to do, Ginny never cried so I didn't usually have to comfort weeping girls. That was more of George's department, he was better with emotions. He was the one that Ginny or Ron went to when they'd been hurt.

"Hermione?" I questioned, deciding to take a moment from my hunt for George to help her. She let out a sob and started to shake. "I'm sorry!" I yelped, wracking my brain to figure out how I had just goofed up with her.

"Not you, George!" She managed.

"Where is he? Is he hurt?" I questioned, looking around the nearly empty library frantically.

"No, not hurt-Kaite!" She somehow managed.

"Katie?" I asked, instantly on another type of alert. That woman was trouble. Krum was persistent but she was completely insane.

"George kissed her!"

What the bloody hell had happened? My brother, my _twin_, would not kiss Katie Bell under any circumstances. One, he would never do that to Hermione, two, he didn't like her, and three, she freaked him out. "What? Start from the beginning." I said quickly, leading her away from the middle of the aisle to a table and chair. She tried to get out of my grip but gave up after a moment when it became apparent I was not leaving.

"She apologized to him, and then once she left George passed out. He started to convulse really badly and when he woke up he didn't recognize me for a second. All he would talk about was Katie. He hopped up from the floor and ran for her. He kissed her and then she started kissing him back. Some one fired at them, and then the whole thing escalated." She said, crying harder as she spoke.

"He just passed out and then started snogging her?" I asked, not hiding my confusion. This wasn't making any sense. George wasn't like that, and it didn't explain the pain I'd just felt. That was panic from George, followed by pain. He wouldn't have let me feel that if he'd been okay. I was missing a big piece of this puzzle.

"Yes." She whimpered again. I shook my head, she was missing something that she didn't realize was important. Something that was probably small.

"Wait here, Hermione, I'll be right back." I said, standing up and running for the spot that Hermione and George tended to sit at. I could hear raised voices as I neared, and I recognized Katie and Pinces dulcet tones.

I rounded and aisle, and instantly felt angry. George was standing between the two women with a completely spacey look on his face, and Katie was firmly grasping his hand. Pince was yelling at him, poking him in the chest as she got onto him for his 'barbaric display of affection.'

Couldn't they see he was clearly not alright?

"George?" I called, stepping towards him and steeling myself for a fight. Pince rounded on me and glared as Katie pulled George closer.

"Fred!" She snapped, her glasses dropping down her nose.

"Yes, I've come for my twin." I said quickly, cutting across her as I reached George. He turned his head towards me, grinning a goofy, not at all right smile.

"Freddie!" He said exuberantly, sounding like a small child. It reminded me of a bad prototype for fainting fancies we'd had. They'd made him act barmy for an hour.

"Yeah, George, it's me." I said, stepping up to him and pulling him out of Katie's vice grip. I turned towards Pince with a frown.

"I'm taking him to the hospital wing, he's not doing well."

"He looks fine to me." She said fiercely. "He needs to pay for breaking the rules."

"I'll take the punishment after I take him to Pomfrey. Anything you want, I'll do. Just let me take him." I pleaded, my bond with George had just gone out, I wasn't feeling anything from him and it was scaring the hell out of me.

"Alright, but you had better be back here in an hour for your detention." I nodded my head and pulled George away. I was pretty sure Pince wasn't actually allowed to give detentions, but I didn't care. I was getting George to Pomfrey pronto.

"Where are we going, Freddie? I want to see Katie, she's so pretty." George said dreamily. This had just passed creepy with flying colors.

"We're going to get you dressed up better for her." I said with a smile, winging a response. "You know you need to try harder since you got less of the dashing good looks."

"Alright." He said, not fighting as usual. "Hurry up though, I want to get back to Katie."

"What about Hermione?" I asked, we were getting near her and I was not going to have her crying all over me again because George was apparently possessed and unable to keep his big mouth shut.

"She's nice, but I love Katie." That stopped me in my tracks. I turned towards him with wide, shocked eyes and felt my mouth drop. My twin was drugged or imperiused, that was the only solution. He brought a bottle to his lips and I realized he was holding one for the first time. I stepped up to him and pulled it out of his hand, a terrible thought crossing my mind. I recognized the scent, and a fierce frown pulled my lips down.

Amortenia.

Someone had drugged George.

"Come on, Georgie, we're going to go get you ready." I said, walking again. we reached Hermione who was still crying, and I waved her over. George was looking at the ceiling with a dreamy expression, mumbling something about Katie.

"He's been drugged."I hissed beneath my breath, trying not to let George hear. Not that he'd probably get what I was saying anyway.

"What?" She questioned, her lower lip trembling. I sighed and handed her the bottle. She opened it and sniffed the water, a frown creasing her own face as well. "Is that-"

"Yes, Amortenia." I cut her off, tugging George and her with me down the aisle. I had a time schedule to keep here. I needed to get George to the hospital and then return to tell Pince off.

"How did that happen?" She questioned.

"I don't know, my guess is that Katie slipped it in somehow."

"I love her." George sighed out. Hermione shot him a glare before it softened into a look of tender care. "I know, we'll take you to her." She said softly, grabbing his other hand and running with me. We went to the hospital wing ,not stopping or slowing. She didn't look it, but Hermione was extremely fast. We arrived at the hospital wing a few minutes later.

"This isn't our dorm, Freddie." George said reprovingly.

"We're getting you a tonic to help your nerves." Hermione said quickly, smiling at him as she flagged Poppy over.

"What is it?" She asked as she neared us. She took one look at George and frowned in concern as I handed her the bottle of water.

"Drugged." I answered, leading George to a bed.

"Amortenia." Hermione explained darkly. Poppy nodded her head and bustled next to George.

"Here, drink this." She handed him a goblet which he downed after a glance at me. His eyes grew heavy and leaned back against the bed before falling fast asleep. "He'll be fine once he wakes up." Poppy said, turning back towards us. She bustled back to her office before closing the door, leaving me and Hermione alone with George.

"I am going to kill that witch." Hermione hissed harshly. I looked over at her, and realized for the first time just what George had meant when he said he was scared of Hermione. Looking at her here and now, with her narrowed eyes and fierce scowl, her hand white from where she was gripping her wand so tightly, I realized just how powerful a witch Hermione was, and that if she wanted to, she could maim anybody in pretty much any way she wanted. They'd never have a clue it had happened either. She knew enough spells to ensure secrecy.

She'd be a brilliant prankster.

* * *

><p><em>AN: __Thansk for reading, and remember, reviews are love so don't forget to leave one! :D_


	27. Chapter 27

My head was once again killing me. Maybe I should stop focusing on the skiving snackboxes long enough to come up with a good cure for headaches. I thought I heard birds, but I realized after a minute that they were actually voices, Fred and Hermione if I wasn't mistaken.

"You did what?"

"Hexed her."

"Wow, you grew a pair!"

"I did not, and don't talk to me like that!"

"Sorry, I'm just impressed."

"She shouldn't have done that to my guy."

"Your guy?" The voices faded away, and the room grew quiet. I took a breath and it helped ease the pounding in my head. I risked opening my eyes and was met with a bright light. I was in the hospital room. Dagnab it… How did I keep getting hurt? My list of people wishing me harm was getting entirely too long-it'd officially passed two hands. I always tried to keep it under ten people.

"He's up!" Fred yelped. I nodded my head, straightening up before turning towards him. He was sitting on a stool next to me, grinning at me. "How are you feeling Brother'O Mine?"

"Like someone just beat me with a bludger." I said, frowning.

"That might have been my fault." Came a quiet voice next to me. I turned and saw Hermione looking at me slightly scared.

"Your fault?" I questioned. She nodded her head.

"I might have hexed you."

"Why?" I asked, feeling confused and worried. Not only did I not want Hermione mad at me, but I couldn't figure out why she would hex me to start with. The last thing I could honestly remember was drinking the tainted water. What had happened? Judging by the sun, I'd lost a few hours.

"You were slipped a love potion." Fred explained. I turned towards him with wide eyes. "Katie slipped it to you."

"What?" I asked, my voice growing slightly squeaky. I'd been hit with a love potion? Katie was apparently back full force. I knew she had been entirely too quiet recently, but I hadn't thought she would go that far… I was scared again. I had an all too clear understanding of just why it was that Moody drank only from his hip flask.

"She slipped you a love potion and you went all wanky." Fred continued. "I found you going at Katie."

"What?" My voice rose now, and I was painfully aware of Hermione sitting next to me. Had I really kissed Katie? I was suddenly feeling an over whelming need to sterilize my mouth.

"You kissed her and she went at you." Hermione clarified, her eyes narrowing.

"She did?"

"Yes, however, we have paid her back in equal favor. Hermione hexed her with a curse that will make it very hard to walk for the rest of the semester. I've slipped a few products to her that will make Eloise's acme look like a single pimple. She will never, ever, try that again." Fred said fiercely. I looked at him with wide eyes. Apparently I had two very capable people watching my back.

"Thanks." I said, my voice oddly choked.

"Yes, and I missed a date with Angelina to go get your sorry arse, so if you two'll excuse me, I'm going to go and finish it." He smirked and stood up. He gave my knee an affectionate pat before he turned and left. I was now alone with Hermione.

"I am so, so, sorry." I said, turning towards Hermione. Before I could even reach her she had moved next to me on the bed and was giving me a heated kiss. I froze for a moment, and then returned the kiss, feeling even more confused.

I don't think I'll ever understand girls.

-o-O-o-

It is _finally_ April first, which is without doubt, the best day of the year. It's a day devoted solely to pranking, and it's the birthday of two of the hottest studs ever.

"Wake up, wake up!" I yelped, bouncing on Fred's bed in excitement. I was the first one up as usual, and he was fast asleep. We were not wasting time with sleep today. I jumped off of Fred's bed as he rolled over and pulled my wand out of my pocket.

_Levicorpus!_ I thought, and then Fred was hanging in the air with a yelp.

"It's our Birthday!" I called out, unable to hide my smile. A grin erupted across his face and he reached into his pocket. Before I could move he pointed it at me and I was suddenly felt like I was being tickled at every corner.

It was shaping up to be a brilliant Birthday already.

We went down to breakfast early and ate as fast as we could. We had a lot to do today, and we couldn't waist any time. Our list of people to get back was about to be completed. We were going on a pranking spree. It was going to be epic.

First on our list, Malfoy. We'd been saving him so we could perfect the products we were going to use on him. Fever Fudge (no healing half) and U-No-Poo, a top secret product that caused constipation. This was going to be fun. We'd tested the two together, and they had the added incentive of making the user lose their sight for a week. (We'd found that out the hard way…)

Second, Krum, and it was going to be fun. I had purposely been putting him off so that I could think of something to do to him that wouldn't make Hermione to angry. I'd decided on Laughing Lollies. That may sound fun, a candy that makes it where you can't stop laughing, but it is not fun to laugh for several hours without end. You run out of air, you develop stitches in your side, your voice grows hoarse, you can't eat, and you can't drink.

Third, Katie. Hello Gabbing Gum, this one was a special version. It was made so that you couldn't stop screaming your words out, annoying and unpopular.

Fourth, Crabbe. A prototype of our daydream charms, except we fixed them so they would be nightmares instead of daydreams. Try and hex one of us now. They were rigged so that at least two of the three, hour long nightmares, would contain the two of us.

Fifth, and final, Snape. We couldn't pass him by, we always pranked him on our birthday. Last year he had tried not to show up to class, and we had gotten him at home. This year we were fixing it so he would change into a bat anytime he tried to give out detentions.

Fred was handling Katie, and Malfoy, I had Crabbe and Krum. We'd do Snape together. I had Dobby sneak the candies into Crabbe's food, he'd agreed to whole heartedly when he heard what had happened. I was doing Krum myself, no way I was passing up the chance to get him.

I snuck out of the castle easily, I'd done it millions of times and had no problem now. Their boat was where I was headed. I just needed to get to the kitchen, err, galley. I'd talk the house elf their into giving it to him then. I walked across the grounds with a casual smile, trying not to look like I was up to trouble.

"Veasley!" I froze in my tracks and turned around, my mouth dropping open in surprise. How on earth had this happened? Why was Krum walking towards me? He hated me and I hated him-our hate was mutual. We both liked the same thing, Hermione. The difference between us (aside from the money, physical, mental, and err, okay, there are a lot of differences.) was that she was dating me. She returned my feelings.

"Krum." I said, glaring freely. Hermione was no where near so I could show him how I felt.

"Vhat are you doing here?" He asked, his eyes narrowing in suspicion.

"It's my school, I can go where I want." I said with a frown, standing up taller.

"Not on our ships." He said fiercely. I reached into my pocket and gripped my wand. I did a bit of nonverbal magic and transferred the lollie from my pocket to his.

"I'm not on your ship." I said. He frowned even more.

"Vhere is Hermownninny?" He asked. He couldn't be that stupid, could he? Why would I tell him where my girlfriend was?

"First, her name is Hermione, not Hermownninny. Second, stay away from her." I said fiercely. I couldn't handle it anymore, I was sick of this tall, rich, famous man following my girl around everywhere.

"I shall follow her if I vant to." He said with a frown.

I opened my mouth but shut it again, taking a deep breath and forcing myself not to hex him. I couldn't do that, Hermione would kill me. Plus, I might get in trouble with the ministry. "Leave me alone." I said darkly. "If you follow her again, if you attack me, if you scare her, if you go near my brothers or sister, I will come for you." I turned around and then paused, turning partially. "Don't hurt Harry either, and I will know if you do."

I turned around and left him behind, heading back towards Hogwarts. I made my way up the staircase, grateful beyond belief that I didn't have any classes today. I loved weekends. Now I just needed to find Hermione.

I went to the common room looking for Hermione, but I couldn't find her. I sat down on my favorite chair and sighed. I was still ticked about what had happened with Krum. It felt pointless, no matter what I did, he'd keep trying to get hurt. She was too nice to stop him as well.

"What's got you looking so sad?" I jumped, turning my head to see who was talking to me. It was Hermione. She was wearing a yellow sundress I'd never seen before, and it was beautiful. Light, airy, and loose, but it hung off on her in such a way that the light shining through the window gave me a very good idea of what lied beneath. God, I wanted so bad to grab her and smother her in kisses at that moment. I was still feeling jealous and vulnerable.

"Nothing, love." I said quickly, patting the spot next to me. She moved next to me, frowning.

"Well, I'm not buying that, but I'll leave it for now." She leaned forward, barely brushing me with her soft body. She pressed a kiss to my lips that left me breathless and completely focused on her.

"Happy Birthday." She said grinning. I was grinning goofily at her as well.

"It is now." I said slightly dazed.

"Do you and Fred have plans for dinner?" She asked quietly. I shook my head, still smiling.

"Nope, Angelina is treating him tonight."

"Then I'm treating you." She said, giving me a smile that I was starting to notice she only gave me. It was cool to think that I had a special smile. I know she was one of the only ones who ever got to see my full smile. I only gave it to Fred and my parents. She'd been the only one to get it out of me.

"Then I can't wait for dinner." I whispered, leaning forward and kissing her again.

-o-O-o-

"Did you bring it?" Fred whispered to me from behind the statue. I grinned and nodded my head.

"Of course I brought it."I whisper-yelled.

"Brilliant." Fred whispered, turning back towards the door. "Having a good birthday so far?"

"You know it, how about you?" I asked, opening my package. He grinned over me at wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

"The best." I grinned back at him and turned towards the door. We only had to wait for our last victim to show his face, and then we were going to have gotten everyone on our list. We were saving the best for last, Snape. We always pranked him lsat, and he always fell for it. He'd tried everything to try and stop us, but he'd not been able to-no matter what he tried. Fred and I always went out of our way to prank him.

He had yet to come out of his office today. Not even for breakfast or lunch. He'd stayed inside the entire time. The really funny part was that we didn't need him to leave to pull our prank on him.

"You ready?" I asked, pulling a jar out of my package. He nodded his head, his lips spreading in a grin that was mischief personified. We tip toed to the door and opened the jar.

"On three." Fred whispered, holding up three fingers, he lowered them one at a time, and then I opened the jar. We poured the dust under the door, and then bent down together. We blew at the dust, and it flew under the door. we jumped back, grabbing our supplies and racing down the hall as screams emitted from the office.

Best birthday ever.

-o-O-o-

"George?" I jumped, dropping my notebook and quill. Hermione walked up beside me and plopped down into the seat next to me. She was still wearing that sundress, and I still wanted to snog her senseless.

"Yeah?" I asked, grinning as she moved closer to me.

"Are you ready for dinner?" She asked with a smile. I nodded my head, thrusting my papers into my bag.

"Sure, love. Any time you're ready." She stood up and I rose with her.

"Is it okay if you don't ask where we're going?" She asked softly. I nodded my head excitedly. I loved surprises.

"Brilliant." She said, leading the way out of the common room. She took me down the stairs, exiting out the secret passage that would take us to Hogsmeade.

"You were right, it wasn't against the rules to go out this way." She said as we walked down the tunnel hand in hand.

"I like the way that sounds, 'you were right.'" I said, winking at her. She shook her head, an amused smile lifting her lips.

"I wouldn't get used to it if I were you."

"Aww, you know I'm always right, love."

"I'll let you keep your little delusion since it's your birthday."

"Awfully kind of you." I said with a smirk, opening the trap door to Honeydukes. Hermione climbed out and I followed her, immensely enjoying the view.

She led me outside and then held her wand aloft, flashing me a quick grin before the knight bus appeared.

"After you." She said with a grin. I climbed onto the bus, nodding at Stan as she handed him the paper with our destination. She climbed into the seat next to me, leaning into me in anticipation of the ride. The bus started and we shot off, Hermione squealed as we took a sharp turn and she was pressed into my side. I wrapped my arm around her, grinning and letting out a laugh as we took another turn.

A few moments later and the bus stopped.

Hermione pulled me out of the bus and I looked around in utter surprise. We were at a carnival, if I wasn't mistaken. I'd seen pictures of them in some of the books Hermione had read. I'd commented once that it looked like fun, had she really gone to all that trouble for me?

"Surprised?" She asked quietly, sounding nervous.

"Brilliant!" I exclaimed, looking around the park with wide eyes. "Where do we start?" I asked, practically bouncing with excitement.

"How about we get some food and then try a ride?" She asked, smiling happily.

"Alright, lead the way." She stepped next to me and looped her arm through mine before heading to a 'concession' stand. She ordered us two pretzels, a bag of popcorn, and a hot dog on a stick. I'd never eaten anything so good. Maybe it was because of the atmosphere, or maybe it was the company, either way, it was awesome.

"Let's try a ride, what would you like to go on?" She asked once we finished our food. I flashed her a grin, my eyes growing wide as I looked around the park. Merlin, there was a lot to choose from. My eyes landed on a giant wheel looking thing and I pointed at it eagerly. She grinned and nodded her head.

"The Ferris Wheel." She informed me, heading towards it. she handed the man a few red tickets, and he let us onto a bucket like seat. He closed the door behind us and I was surprised by Hermione who scooted right next to me. I wrapped my arm around her, noting she was trembling a little.

"Are you alright?" I asked quietly as the ride began to move, it was going up in a big circle.

"I'm fine." She whimpered, scooting still closer to me. "Just a little uncomfortable with heights."

Shoot, why had I forgot that? Hermione was terrified of heights. I shouldn't have made her come on this ride.

"I'm sorry," I said quickly. She shook her head.

"No, don't be. I want you to have fun. I'll get over it."

"Don't worry, I won't let you fall. I'm allowed to do magic now, so I'll catch you before you fall."

"Really?" She asked, wrapping her arm around my waist and scooting closer to me.

"Yes, I promise not to ever let you fall." She closed her eyes, holding me tighter but relaxing slightly.

"Thanks."

We rode at least ten other rides, and most of them had Hermione pressing herself into me. She was growing more comfortable with each one, but she was still clearly scared. It was really late when we returned, but I was still happy and excited.

"That was the best birthday ever."

She smiled, really happy and took my hand again as we entered the common room.

"I'm glad you had fun, George."

"I'm serious, that was the best time I've ever had." I told her, stopping in the middle of the empty common room and taking hold of both her hands. I pulled one up to my lips and pressed a light kiss to her knuckles. She blushed at the action before she moved closer to me and wrapped her arms around my waist. She laid her head against my chest and breathed out as I wrapped my own arms loosely around her.

"I had fun too." She whispered into my chest. I lifted her chin gently and pressed a soft kiss to her lips, grinning when she deepened it and pressed herself into me a little harder. She brought her hands up to my neck, wrapping me tightly in her arms and dragging her fingers through my hair. I brought my hands up her waist slowly, feeling her soft body beneath my fingers and growing warm at the touch of it. she didn't stop me as my hands inched higher, seeming to press closer to me if anything. My hands were almost at their destination when the clock chime sounded like a firecracker.

Hermione jumped away from me, letting out a squeak of surprise at the interruption. She promptly blushed a bright red and started fiddling with her dress.

"We have school tomorrow." she reminded me as I stepped closer to her again. I gave her a wolfish grin and wrapped her in my arms again.

"I don't care." I whispered before claiming her lips again. Evidently she didn't care too much either because it was quite a bit later before I made it back to my room. I changed into my pajama's, noting that Fred was still missing with a grin and pulled my bed curtains aside.

Sitting on my bed was a small bowl of strawberries with a small card lying next to it. I picked up the card and read the neat handwriting with a smile lifting my lips.

_Happy Birthday, George. Enjoy the treat._

_Sweet Dreams_

_-Hermione_

* * *

><p><em>AN: __Thansk for reading, and remember, reviews are love so don't forget to leave one! :D_


	28. Chapter 28

April has completely melted away. With the start of summer term I've actually found myself busy with school for once.

So anyway, May has finally arrived, and Harry has once again started to panic. Understandable really. They've planted at least a mile worth of shrubbery where the quidditch pitch usually is. Apparently the third task is a maze.

After the dragon, and hour long swim, that just sounds anti-climatic. That's why he's scared. Merlin only knows what he'll find inside there.

The really strange thing was Krum though. Apparently he had pulled Harry aside after they had been shown the starting maze and questioned him about Hermione. Harry had told me afterwards, claiming he was wanting to make sure that Krum didn't hurt Hermione.

I think he's starting to be okay with my dating Hermione.

Which brings me to the actually interesting bit of news, Crouch has been murdered, and on Hogwarts grounds.

I was sitting in the common room with Hermione and Ron. We'd finished up their charm homework, and we were looking at Potions. Hermione was sitting next to me, her legs draped over my lap as she took notes, Ron was sitting in the chair across from us, his legs thrown over the arm rest and his book against his long legs as we tried to figure out why we needed squeaking potions. I was about to suggest using it on Snape and seeing how useful it could be when Harry came in and started to tell us that he'd happened upon Crouch's body and that someone had knocked Krum out. After listening to everything he had to say, Hermione was the first one to speak up.

"It comes down to this," she said, rubbing her forehead. "Either Mr. Crouch attacked Viktor, or somebody else attacked both of them when Viktor wasn't looking." The fact that Hermione used Krum's first name wasn't lost on me, and left me feeling surly myself.

"It must've been Crouch," Ron piped up. "That's why he was gone when Harry and Dumbledore got there. He'd done a runner."

"I don't think so," Harry said, shaking his head. "He seemed really weak - I don't reckon he was up to Disapparating or anything."

"You can't Disapparate on the Hogwarts grounds, haven't I told you enough times?" Hermione said darkly.

"Besides, he's not the type to do something like that. Crouch didn't do anything to him. He's willing to hurt me, but not anyone else." I said with a frown. Harry considered that but shook his head.

"It doesn't make sense."

"Okay. . . how's this for a theory," Ron offered, waving his hand excitedly. "Krum attacked Crouch - no, wait for it - and then Stunned himself!"

"And Mr. Crouch evaporated, did he?" Hermione said with a frown.

"Oh yeah . . ."

"Obviously there was a third party. Did Moody see anyone else with his eye?" I questioned.

"No, we were the only ones." Harry answered. Everyone else grew quiet, no doubt contemplating who had been there. Karkoff seemed the most logical choice, but he wouldn't have hurt Krum.

In short, we had no idea.

"Just go through it again, Harry," said Hermione. "What did Mr. Crouch actually say?"

"I've told you, he wasn't making much sense," Harry said in a long suffering manner. "He said he wanted to warn Dumbledore about something. He definitely mentioned Bertha Jorkins, and he seemed to think she was dead. He kept saying stuff was his fault. . . . He mentioned his son."

"Well, that was his fault," Hermione said testily.

"He was a death eater." I said with a frown. I was the last one to approve of turning on your family, but that would be different.

"Yes, but it was still his fault."

"He was out of his mind," Harry said, cutting across us. "Half the time he seemed to think his wife and son were still alive, and he kept talking to Percy about work and giving him instructions."

"And . . . remind me what he said about You-Know-Who?" Ron said tentatively.

"I've told you," Harry repeated dully. "He said he's getting stronger."

What else was new? Voldemort was always rumored to be getting stronger.

"But he was out of his mind, like you said, so half of it was probably just raving. ..."

"He was sanest when he was trying to talk about Voldemort," Harry muttered, making us all grow quiet. "He was having real trouble stringing two words together, but that was when he seemed to know where he was, and know what he wanted to do. He just kept saying he had to see Dumbledore."

Harry's eyes drifted to the dorms, his face growing darker. "If Snape hadn't held me up," Harry said bitterly, "we might've got there in time. 'The headmaster is busy. Potter . . . what's this rubbish, Potter?' Why couldn't he have just got out of the way?"

"Maybe he didn't want you to get there!" said Ron quickly. "Maybe - hang on - how fast d'you reckon he could've gotten down to the forest? D'you reckon he could've beaten you and Dumbledore there?"

"Not unless he can turn himself into a bat or something," said Harry. Hermione and I snorted at that, earning a look from Harry. Apparently he hadn't seen Snape in his bat form. Hermione grasped my hand loosely in her own, earning a smile from me. I loved it when she took the initiative and reached for me. It was nice to think I didn't always have to pursue her-that she let me catch her sometimes.

"Wouldn't put it past him," Ron muttered.

"We need to see Professor Moody," said Hermione. "We need to find out whether he found Mr. Crouch."

"Well that'll have to wait till the morning."

-o-O-o-

"So, if this doesn't work, I'm thinking we should tell him that we'll tell dad about what's going."Fred said as we climbed the steps to the owlery. I had already filled him in on what had happened to Crouch, and he didn't have any more ideas than I had. Now we were trying a last do or die trick on Bagman.

"- that's blackmail, that is, we could get into a lot of trouble for that-" I told him, frowning. I love Fred but he never thought of things like that. If we tried to blackmail Bagman it wouldn't go well for us. We were two pranksters with barely passing grades. He was a ministry official, he'd win any fight.

"- we've tried being polite; it's time to play dirty, like him. He wouldn't like the Ministry of Magic knowing what he did -"

"I'm telling you, if you put that in writing, it's blackmail!" I snapped, reaching for the door.

"Yeah, and you won't be complaining if we get a nice fat payoff, will you?" I had to admit, it would be nice to have some money.

I threw the door open, and promptly froze as I saw Hermione, Ron and Harry.

"What're you doing here?" Ron and Fred said together.

"Sending a letter," Harry and I said in unison.

"What, at this time?" Hermione and Fred asked. I couldn't help but grin at the annoyed look on her face.

"Fine - we won't ask you what you're doing, if you don't ask us," Fred said after a moment. Hermione's eyes shot to mine, and a sad look filled them. She opened her mouth but promptly shut it, dropping her eyes from mine. Guilt rose in my stomach but I pushed it away. I wasn't only not telling her about what had happened with Bagman because of Fred, but also because it was embarrassing.

Would you want your girlfriend to know you'd been tricked by fake gold?

"Well, don't let us hold you up," Fred said, making a mock bow and pointing at the door. They didn't take the hint, Ron just spoke up.

"Who're you blackmailing?" he asked, a concerned frown on his face. Fred's grin vanished, and he glanced at me out of the corner of his eye. I was still smiling, so I took the lead.

"Don't be stupid, I was only joking," I said easily, keeping my eyes on his. Ron didn't budge.

"Didn't sound like that,"

Fred looked at me fully and I did the same. A quick, silent conversation passed between us and Fred turned back to Ron. "I've told you before, Ron, keep your nose out if you like it the shape it is. Can't see why you would, but -"

"It's my business if you're blackmailing someone" Ron said diplomatically, a very worried look in his eyes. I felt guilty for alarming him, but we weren't budging on this. "George's right, you could end up in serious trouble for that."

"Told you, I was joking," I said. I walked over to Fred, pulled the letter out of his hands, and began attaching it to the leg of the nearest barn owl. "You're starting to sound a bit like our dear older brother, you are, Ron. Carry on like this and you'll be made a prefect." I continued, going down a path I knew would get a rise out of him.

"No, I won't!" He said crossly.

I carried the barn owl over to the window and it took off. I watched it fly off for a moment, keenly aware of the fact that Hermione was watching me with her piercing eyes.

"See you lot later." I said with another grin, turning around and stepped next to Fred. We exited the owlery and I felt sick to my stomach.

Hermione was going to be angry at me again.

-o-O-o-

"No, I'm not going to ask anything, George." Hermione sighed as I stepped up next to her. She was sitting on a couch by herself, reading a book, and taking notes. I sat next to her timidly, afraid to upset her. She glanced at me out of the corner of her eye and sighed.

"Strike that, I'm going to ask one question." I nodded my head, lowering my eyes and trying to figure out how I was going to answer it.

"Do you trust me?" She asked quietly, barely whispering the words. My eyes widened and shot back to hers before I gave my head a barely perceptible nod.

"Implicitly." I answered. She studied me for a moment before she nodded her head.

"Then that's all I need to know." She said simply. She went back to her book but she moved closer to me on the couch, leaning into my arms with a satisfied sigh. I held her tighter, nuzzling my cheek against her soft hair.

The common room was fairly abandoned, Lee and Alicia were the only other ones down here. Still, the fact that there were other people here made her next move extremely shocking. She turned in my hold and leaned up, pressing a hot kiss to my lips. I gasped in surprise, and she used the moment to deepen the kiss, bringing her arms up to wrap around my neck and pull my face flush against her. A moan escaped me when she pressed her body into mine and I had to repress the urge to grab her and press her into me.

She pulled back after a few long minutes, breathless and blushing. She turned back and leaned into my arms, closing her eyes and nestling into my arms. I held her with a bit of surprise, my own breathing heavy and my body hot.

Yep, it's official. I will never, ever, understand women-but hell, it'll be fun trying too.

We stayed like that for the rest of the night, neither of us ever made it back to our dorms, but I didn't mind at all. I don't think Hermione did either, I rather think she enjoyed falling asleep on me. I certainly enjoyed falling asleep with her.

-o-O-o-

Once again Fred, Hermione, Ron, Harry, and I took up residency in the library. This time it didn't seem as desperate as last time though. It was much more fun, and relaxed. None of us had any idea of what he would meet in the final task, so we were each studying our favorite subjects and writing down anything that would be useful. I had taken Charms, Fred and Hermione had Transfiguration, and Ron and Harry were covering Defense Against the Dark Arts.

May faded away, and June was fast approaching . We now had five days till the last Task. Harry was feeling 'burned out' so we were taking a break from studying. Fred had run off with Angelina, and Ron and Harry were crashing in the Common Room. I had much more fun plans, and it involved Hermione and a lot of water.

"Hermione!" I called, catching up to her as we exited the library. She turned towards me expectantly, a smile lifting her lips and showing off her perfect teeth.

"Yes?" She questioned curiously.

"You okay for a few hours?"

"Sure, what do you have in mind?"

"How about a swim?" I asked, springing my crazy idea on her. She stopped walking and turned towards me, a thoughtful look on her face.

"Swimming?"

"Yep," I said with a big smile, "swimming." I loved swimming, I could do it for hours on end.

"Sounds like fun." She said, smiling excitedly.

"Brilliant, we can drop our stuff off and then go to the black lake." She nodded her head and we went to the common room. I deposited my stuff and she did as well. We ran out to the lake and stopped in front of it. I took off my robe, sweater, and undershirt. I transfigured my pants into swimming trunks, and I was ready to go for a swim. I stepped around the tree I had changed behind and had to bite back a gasp as I saw what she was wearing.

She'd shed her robe as well, and transfigured her uniform into a two piece bathing suit. Not a bikini, but a tankini. It was a pale orange-my favorite color- and it hung on her body in a painfully appealing way. The shirt was form fitting and showed just a touch of her creamy stomach. She looked at me appraisingly, a slightly scared look in her eyes. I nipped her fear in the bud before it could even get any ground.

I stepped towards her and gently placed my arms on her shoulders. "My god," I breathed out, running my hands up and down her, "do you ever look enticing in that." Her eyes widened and she looked thoroughly surprised. "Come on," I continued, "lets swim." She nodded her head, and we were about to go into the water when I felt that unnerving feeling of someone watching us. My eyes scanned the ground but I didn't see anything. I shook it off and jumped into the water, letting out a whoop when I felt the rush of cool water around me.

Hermione jumped in beside me and looked equally excited. She rose from the water, her head thrown back and the water flowing off her like a mermaid rising from the depths of the water. I watched her with a slight sense of awe. It was moments like this that I was struck full force by her beauty, and it always left me feeling light headed.

My distraction cost me though, she turned towards me and hit me with a bombardment of splashes.

"Oi!" I yelped, ducking under and grabbing her legs. She squeaked as I pulled her under, pushing against me. I let her go and kicked back to the surface, splashing her as she rose up.

"War!" She yelled out, laughing as I splashed her again.

That feeling came over me again, and I couldn't push it away. My eyes scanned the tree lines again and I saw who it was.

Krum.

Hermione noticed my distraction and turned towards what I was looking at. "George." She said quietly, when she saw Krum. I shook my head, unable to talk. My heart was plummeting to my stomach and I wasn't feeling much like swimming anymore. Krum flashed a truly evil grin and stepped towards us. I swam for the other end of the lake, pulling Hermione with me.

"George," she said again, I swam faster. I wasn't eager to hear her go on about how I didn't need to be jealous. Clearly she wasn't seeing him clearly. I had every reason to be jealous.

We climbed out of the water and headed for the castle. I pulled my wand from my wand holder and pointed it at the opposite shore. I summoned our clothes and handed hers to her. Krum was halfway across the lake now.

"George, this is silly." Hermione insisted as I started for the castle.

"Yes, but I don't want to talk about it."

"Fine." Hermione huffed. We were only a few feet away now.

A hand on my shoulder stopped me right as we reached the steps. I turned with a frown, Krum had reached us.

"Herm-own-ninny." Krum said, stepping towards her. I tightened my grip on her with a frown. He stepped closer to her and she froze, her eyes wide and surprised.

"I vish to talk to you." he said quietly, brushing her hair behind her ear. My stomach plummeted even more and I felt like I was going to be sick. Maybe I'd hit Krum-that'd be the only plus.

"Later." Hermione said. I bit back a painful gasp, feeling slightly betrayed. She was going to talk to him without me around.

"Come on." She said, pulling me up the steps. I followed her, slightly dazed until I heard Krum's last words.

"See you then, luff."

Hell no.

I stepped in front of her and pulled her into a broom closet. "George?" She questioned, but I silenced her by pressing a kiss to her lips. I couldn't handle all my emotions anymore- they were overwhelming, pushing me, pulling me, confusing me. It was just too much. I was through; I was going to show her that she didn't need any other guy.

I tugged her hips closer to mine and made her press flush against me. I twisted us around and pushed her up against the door, cradling her head with my knuckles. Hermione's mouth broke from mine for a moment. She let out a gasp and I reclaimed her lips. I pressed up against her and deepened the kiss. She was stiff beneath me for a moment, but she loosened up and began to kiss me back, bringing her hands up and wrapping them around my neck.

I kissed her feverishly, unable to stop or control myself. I'd lost all of my control, I just needed this beautiful, incredible witch in my arms to know that I was all she needed. I fisted her hair in my hands, letting my fingers weave their way through her soft locks. She dropped her hands to my shoulders, digging her nails into my shoulder blades. I moaned at the rough contract and broke away from her mouth. I pressed kisses to her neck and jaw, feeling the urge, desire, and need, to completely merge with her. Merlin, if only she were older…

"George!" She gasped, arching into me and causing me and her both to moan at the incredible feel.

"You're mine." I said in a lower voice than I'd ever used. She shuddered at the sound, her mouth blindly searching for mine to take her again.

I complied, pressing myself back into her, losing myself to the sensations as I ran my hands up and down her body. She gasped at the feel, seeming to be unsure of what she was feeling. Unsure of how to take what she was feeling. I wasn't even sure of how to take it, I'd never felt this strong, this scared of losing a girl before.

"George," She whimpered again, and it helped bring me back to earth. I began to feel slightly ashamed of myself, and I slowed the kiss down, making it more tender and satisfying.

She was the one to break this kiss this time, breathing heavily and staring at me with unsure eyes. She moved her arms down to my chest and wrapped me in a firm hug, leaning her head against me as she caught her breath.

"I-" I started, not sure what it was I was wanting to say exactly. I just felt the need to speak up.

"George, I'm so sorry." She whispered out, her voice sounding teary. I froze in her hold, my eyes wide and surprised.

"You're sorry?" I asked, feeling even more guilty.

"Yes, I'm sorry. I never meant to make you think you had any competition." She pulled back from me slightly, locking her eyes with mine. "You're the only one I'm interested in, George."

What can you say to that? I went for a different response, I snogged her again.

* * *

><p><em>AN: Okay, I've officially decided I am continuing this story into book five, up to the Twin's escape. I have a few things I want to cover, but I'd love to hear if there are any parts you want to read about. Enjoy this chapter, and don't forget to leave a review!_


	29. Chapter 29

Mum and Bill came to visit us the day of the task. We all gathered together to eat lunch (Me, Fred, Ginny, Ron, Harry, Bill, and Mum.)

Hermione was nowhere to be found because she'd had an epiphany on how Skeeter kept sneaking into Hogwarts. She'd disappeared early in the morning and hadn't reappeared since.

"So, what do you think the task will entail, Harry?" Mum asked as we started to eat. Harry swallowed his potatoes nervously, looking uncomfortable.

"I haven't the foggiest." He said honestly. I let my eyes drift to the end of the hall and felt a smile spread across my face as I saw Hermione walk towards us. Ron, who was sitting at the other end, mouthed something to her but she shook her head. She sat next to me, smiling excitedly.

"Good news, love?" I whispered. She nodded her head but glanced warily at mum, who was glaring at her for some reason.

"Hello, Hermione," she said stiffly, her eyes narrowed and untrusting. Hermione gripped my hand under the table as she responded.

"Hello," she murmured, her smile faltering at the cold expression on mum's face. What was the deal? What'd Hermione done to upset mum?

Harry looked between them, then said, "Mrs. Weasley, you didn't believe that rubbish Rita Skeeter wrote in Witch Weekly, did you? Because Hermione's not my girlfriend."

"Oh!" said Mrs. Weasley "No - of course I didn't!" she smiled at Hermione and I felt my mouth drop open in surprise. That had to be a joke, surely she had actually known that I was dating Hermione, not Harry.

"Ladies and gentlemen, in five minutes' time, I will be asking you to make your way down to the Quidditch field for the third and final task of the Triwizard Tournament. Will the champions please follow Mr. Bagman down to the stadium now."

-o-O-o-

"Ladies and gentlemen, the third and final task of the Triwizard Tournament is about to begin! Let me remind you how the points currently stand! Tied in first place, with eighty-five points each - Mr. Cedric Diggory and Mr. Harry Potter, both of Hogwarts School!"

A thunder of applause rose up around us, none as loud as our row. We were sitting with our family, but Hermione, Lee, Angelina, Alicia, Neville, Seamus, and Dean were also with us. I let out an especially loud whoop as Hermione gave a shrill whistle.

Bagman smiled and motioned for silence before continuing. "In second place, with eighty points - Mr. Viktor Krum, of Durmstrang Institute!" More applause, I didn't clap. "And in third place - Miss Fleur Delacour, of Beauxbatons Academy!"

Harry turned towards us and we all waved at him wildly, earning a small smile from him. He turned back towards the maze at the same time as Bagman started talking again. "So... on my whistle, Harry and Cedric!" said Bagman. "Three - two - one -"

A shrill whistle sounded, causing Harry and Cedric to jump before heading into the maze. They disappeared into it's depths and another whistle sounded a few minutes later. Krum stepped into the maze, and then Fleur followed. Now all we could do was wait.

And wait…

This had to be the most boring task to date. We could hear a few growls, and a couple of screams (Fleur) but we couldn't see a thing. Hermione kept wringing her hands next to me, craning her neck to try and catch a glimpse of Harry. I reached for her hand, holding it tightly in my own and brushing my thumb against the back of it. That seemed to calm her down some and she turned towards me. I wrapped my arm around her, not releasing her hand, and held her close, trying to bring her some sort of comfort.

"What do you think is going on out there?"

"Not a clue." I said, my eyes being drawn to a small flash of light. It had been at least an hour. How long would this take?

"I hope he's okay." She whispered, seeming scared to voice her fears.

"He'll be fine. He had us helping him after all." I said, grinning at her. She gave me a small smile, relaxing into my hold some.

"Rather boring, huh?" Fred mumbled, looking at the maze with a bit of worry.

"Bring a deck of cards?" I asked, trying to make him smile.]

"Should have brought some ton-tongue toffee's." He laughed. That made me laugh as well, both from picturing mum's face and the crowds reaction.

"That would have been awesome-"

I got cut off by a rather loud bang and a flash of light. Two bodies fell to the middle of the field and I recognized them as Harry and Cedric before they were swarmed by Dumbledore and the judges.

We all started pushing our way out of the stands, clapping and letting out whoops, and then we heard a loud, terrible scream

"HE"S DEAD!"

Harry? Who were they talking about? We pushed our way through with renewed vigor, panic threatening to take each of us. Tears were streaming down Hermione's cheeks and even Ron was crying. Hysteria had risen up in the crowd as everyone tried to get to the field. Screams had filled the air, but I still couldn't tell who had died-if anyone had even actually died.

"Cedric, that's my boy!" A heartbroken wail filled the air and I stopped in my track.

Cedric? Cedric was dead?

What the hell had happened? And where was Harry?

We finally got out on the field, and chaos took over. Someone started screaming for Harry, and I realized he had disappeared. Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Snape shot out of the field and headed for the castle. Mum gave us one look and headed after them, a panic in her eyes I hadn't seen since I was four. She was worried for Harry, she was scared for his life. She used to have that look in her eyes every time dad left for work. I was young during the first war, but my earliest memories tend to revolve around it.

"Come on!" She called as she headed for the castle. I grabbed Hermione's hand in my left, and snagged Ginny's with my right, ensuring I kept up with them. Fred grabbed Ginny's other hand, and snagged Ron's up as well, making sure we all stayed together. Bill snatched Ron's up and we all ran after mum, who was running faster than I'd have ever thought she could.

"Were are we going?" Bill called over the screams.

"The hospital, that's where Harry'll be." She said, her voice hard and determined. We followed her without question as she led us to the hospital wing. We reached it in record time, and she threw the door open with her wand before we'd even reached it. We ran in and stopped for the first time. Pomfrey blocked our way, and she refused to move.

"Poppy!" Mum snapped, her wand still out.

"I won't let you through." Mum straightened up and stepped right next to the taller witch, a look in her eyes I had never seen before. I had no doubt in my mind that she was going to hex Poppy if she didn't move aside. We stepped up behind her, equally determined looks on our faces. I was feeling oddly numb, almost like I hadn't quite processed what had happened.

"Let us in, we have to see him." Mum said, her eyes narrowing.

"Please. Ma'am," Hermione begged, her eyes still filled with tears. "We have to see if he's alright." I'm afraid I can't yet." She said, standing taller.

"Why?"

"Dumbledore's orders. He's not to be disturbed."

"That's ridiculous, we just want to make sure he's alive and well."

"He is."

"Just draw the curtain back for a moment, we only need a glimpse."

"Absolutely not."

"Don't be unreasonable!"

"I'm not being unreasonable!" Hermione's hand tightened on my own almost painfully and I turned my eyes towards her to see her looking at the other wing of the hospital. I could see a curtain around a bed, that had to be Harry…

"Poppy, they can come through." I started at Dumbledore's voice, tearing my eyes from Harry's bed and looking at him with a frown. "Molly, don't question him about what happened. There'll be time for that later…" He stepped past us, leaving us alone with Harry.

-o-O-o-

So, Voldemort is back and Cedric Diggory is dead because of it. I really can't tell you what we did the last days of this semester. It was a blur of pain and disbelief. I spent most of it with Fred and Hermione, trying to stay near my family and feeling vulnerable. I could remember the first war, I wasn't looking forward to the fact that Voldemort being back would mean the start of another war.

And Fudge was trying to hide the entire thing, stupid git.

So, I'm now stowing my luggage away in our compartment and feeling as though I'm saying goodbye to Hogwarts and our freedom. After we leave this time, things will never be the same. It's going to change forever. No more happy carefree days without the weight of what happened during the third task. No more joy without the whispering fear of Voldemort returning.

I'm feeling a bit depressed.

"Come on, George." Fred said, stepping up behind me and placing a light hand on my shoulder. "Let's go see if Ron and Hermione need any help." I nodded my head, knowing he was just trying to make me feel better. I followed him out of the compartment and down the corridor. I heard a familiar voice and withdrew my wand at the sound of it.

"Mudbloods and Muggle-lovers first! Well - second - Diggory was the f-" Anger filled me and Fred and I both sent a hex at him before another word. We weren't the only ones either, the whole compartment lit up with the force of spells. I went momentarily blind and deaf by the flashes and bangs, but stepped forward into the compartment anyway, a fierce frown on my face.

Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle were all lying unconscious in the doorway. I stepped up to the compartment, peeking side to see Harry, Ron, and Hermione on their feet, all with their wands drawn. I doubted Goyle, Crabbe, or Malfoy would be waking up any time soon.

"Thought we'd see what you guys were up to," said Fred matter-of-factly, stepping onto Goyle and into the compartment. He still had his wand out. I followed him, taking care to tread on Crabbe and Malfoy as I did so. I stowed my wand away in my pocket, studying a stranger than usual looking Crabbe for a moment before speaking .

"Interesting effect," I stated, looking down at him. "Who used the Furnunculus Curse?"

"Me," Harry said, glaring at their unconscious forms. I looked up and stepped further into the compartment, next to Hermione.

"Odd" I said in a light tone. "I used Jelly-Legs. Looks as though those two shouldn't be mixed. He seems to have sprouted little tentacles all over his face. Well, let's not leave them here, they don't add much to the decor."

Ron, Harry, Fred, and I kicked, rolled, and pushed the unconscious Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle - each of whom looked distinctly the worse for the jumble of jinxes with which they had been hit - out into the corridor, then came back into the compartment and rolled the door shut. Let the others deal with them. I stepped back over to Hermione and took her hand lightly in my own.

"Exploding Snap, anyone?" Fred asked, pulling out a pack of cards. Hermione flashed me a grin. It reminded me of the hours I had spent playing this game at Christmas… That seemed like forever ago.

Hermione sat on the bench next to me, leaning into my arm while she read a book. We played pairs against Harry and Ron, who hadn't improved in the slightest since Christmas.

"You going to tell us, then?" Harry said suddenly during our fifth game. "Who you were blackmailing?"

"Oh," I said, feeling my depression and black mood returning. I didn't want to talk about that. No matter what we did it wasn't going to Work. Bagman wasn't giving us that money back-Fred and I would never get enough for our Joke Shop. "That."

"It doesn't matter," Fred sighed, sounding as depressed as me. "It wasn't anything important. Not now, anyway."

"We've given up," I said, shrugging. Hermione straightened up and turned towards me with a frown.

"What happened?"

"All right, all right, if you really want to know ... it was Ludo Bagman."

"Bagman?" Harry asked sharply. "Are you saying he was involved in -"

"Nah," I said gloomily. It seemed so pointless. We needed to figure out a new way of getting the money. "Nothing like that. Stupid git. He wouldn't have the brains."

"Well, what, then?"

Fred hesitated, glancing at me. I shrugged. Might as well tell them, it was going to come out anyway. He sighted and the told them. "You remember that bet we had with him at the Quidditch World Cup? About how Ireland would win, but Krum would get the Snitch?"

"Yeah," said Harry and Ron slowly. Hermione took my hand, a sympathetic look crossing her face.

"Well, the git paid us in leprechaun gold he'd caught from the Irish mascots."

"So?" Ron asked stupidly. I shot my eyes to him, frowning.

"So," Fred snapped, glaring as well, "it vanished, didn't it? By next morning, it had gone!"

"But - it must've been an accident, mustn't it?" Hermione asked timidly. I let out a bitter laugh. Accident indeed.

"Yeah, that's what we thought, at first. We thought if we just wrote to him, and told him he'd made a mistake, he'd cough up. But nothing doing. Ignored our letter. We kept trying to talk to him about it at Hogwarts, but he was always making some excuse to get away from us."

"In the end, he turned pretty nasty," Fred said darkly. "Told us we were too young to gamble, and he wasn't giving us anything."

"So we asked for our money back," I said. Hermione's eyes grew wide and she looked horrified, and mad.

"He didn't refuse!" She gasped. I nodded my head.

"Right in one," Fred said dully.

"But that was all your savings!" Ron exclaimed.

"Tell me about it," I sighed. "'Course, we found out what was going on in the end. Lee Jordan's dad had had a bit of trouble getting money off Bagman as well. Turns out he's in big trouble with the goblins. Borrowed loads of gold off them. A gang of them cornered him in the woods after the World Cup and took all the gold he had, and it still wasn't enough to cover all his debts. They followed him all the way to Hogwarts to keep an eye on him. He's lost everything gambling. Hasn't got two Galleons to rub together. And you know how the idiot tried to pay the goblins back?"

"How?"

"He put a bet on you, mate," Fred said, no longer grimacing. "Put a big bet on you to win the tournament. Bet against the goblins."

"So that's why he kept trying to help me win! Well - I did win, didn't I? So he can pay you your gold!"

"Nope," I said, shaking my head. "The goblins play as dirty as him. They say you drew with Diggory, and Bagman was betting you'd win outright. So Bagman had to run for it. He did run for it right after the third task."

They had the good graces not to bring it up again. Hermione leaned back against me, tracing her finger in small circles on my leg absentmindedly as she read.

The rest of the journey was fun, and I found myself dreading returning to King's Cross. We did of course, and we all rose to leave. Hermione and Ron were first out, but Harry called Fred and me back.

"Fred - George - wait a moment." We turned towards him as he opened his trunk and pulled out the sack of Galleon's Fudge had given him. "Take it," he said, thrusting the heavy bag into my hands. My mouth feel open in shock as I looked at him. I had never seen, much less held, so much money in my life.

"What?" Fred asked in utter disbelief.

"Take it," Harry repeated firmly. "I don't want it."

"You're mental," I said, trying to give it back to him. I couldn't accept that, not at all.

"No, I'm not," Harry said with a small smile. "You take it, and get inventing. It's for the joke shop."

"He is mental," Fred said in an almost awed voice. I felt the same way.

"Listen," Harry said firmly. "If you don't take it, I'm throwing it down the drain. I don't want it and I don't need it. But I could do with a few laughs. We could all do with a few laughs. I've got a feeling we're going to need them more than usual before long."

"Harry," I said, weighing the bag in my hands, "there's got to be a thousand Galleons in here."

"Yeah," said Harry, grinning. "Think how many Canary Creams that is."

We just stared at him, I think my brain had just short circuited. This couldn't really be happening, not after the year we'd had.

"Just don't tell your mum where you got it... although she might not be so keen for you to join the Ministry anymore, come to think of it. . . ."

"Harry," Fred began, but Harry pulled out his wand.

"Look," he said flatly, "take it, or I'll hex you. I know some good ones now. Just do me one favor, okay? Buy Ron some different dress robes and say they're from you."

He left the compartment before we could say another word. I turned towards Fred, my mouth hanging open.

"He just invested in our shop." I whispered, scared that if I actually said it out loud that it would suddenly become untrue-dumb, but how I felt none the less.

"We can do it, George." Fred breathed out, fingering one of the galleons. "We can open the shop with this." I was literally holding the key to all of our dreams in my hand.

We looked at each other and then ran after Harry. I stowed the money away in my pocket as we chased him down. He was standing on the platform with Ron and Hermione, looking at the Dursely's with a frown.

"Harry - thanks," I gasped, reaching in my pocket and pulling out a few Ton-Tongue Toffee's. I thrust them into his hands with a smile, still feeling like I was dreaming.

"In case Dudley causes problems." I explained. He nodded his head, and with one last wink he left. Harry winked at us, turned to Vernon, and followed him silently from the station.

"I hope he'll be alright." Hermione murmured as she watched them leave. I nodded my head, feeling more grateful than I ever had in my life.

"That's my mum and dad." She said sadly, dropping my hand. She stepped towards them but I stopped her with a hand on her shoulder. She turned towards me and raised her eyebrow. "Yes?"

I stepped up to her and pressed a kiss to her lips. I held it for a moment before I let go of her. "Be careful, love. I'll come for you as soon as possible."

She nodded her head, her brown eyes wide with worry. "I'll be waiting for you." she said simply before she ran to her parents. I watched her go with a small frown. I was wrestling with all the emotions swirling around in my stomach. I was excited about the money and what that meant for Fred and me; I was sad that this would be the last time I'd ever spend at Hogwarts as carefree, because now I'd be leaving to a world that was gearing up for a war; but mostly I was scared. Scared for Hermione, for Harry, for my family.

A war was coming and we couldn't avoid it.

* * *

><p><em>AN: Enjoy this chapter, and don't forget to leave a review!_


	30. Chapter 30

_A/N:Okay, we are officially entering Order of the Phoenix, I'm going to go through the pre-hogwarts period pretty quickly, my main interest is there. Still, I'll be taking time to cover some fun._

_Thanks!_

"Mum!" I called, running down the steps of Grimmauld place. My life had changed and unbelievable lot in the last few weeks. We've all relocated to Grimmauld place, the location of the Order of the Phoenix, and Sirius Black's Home. Yeah, turns out he's been on our side the entire time. Go figure. Also, Fred and I have started to produce stock of our inventions, and look for a store space.

"Yes, Fred."

"I'm George," I corrected quickly. "I'm going to go pick up Hermione. I got her owl this morning saying she was ready." Mum turned towards me, dropping her duster with a frown.

"Why don't you just let Moody get her?"

"Because he can't get her till next week. I want to make sure she's safe. I'll be careful, and I'm apparating to a place near her house and flying the rest of the way. I won't be seen." She frowned but finally nodded her head. I was going to go regardless, and she knew that. I couldn't handle her not being here any longer. We were going to be getting Harry tomorrow, so what better time? I was scared about her safety.

"Be careful." I gave her a kiss on the cheek and ran for the hall. I grabbed my broom and opened the door to Grimmauld place. I ran down the steps and twisted into the air. I apparated away and reappeared in a spot a mile from Hermione's house.

I mounted my broom and cast a disillusionment charm over my body as nerves started to grip me. This would be my first time meeting Hermione's parents as her boyfriend. I hope they wouldn't disapprove of me, I didn't want Hermione to have any worries about me. I'd even dressed like a muggle for this occasion.

The wind felt nice in my hair and I realized for the first time just how much I had missed flying. It had been a long time since I'd last done it.

I reached Hermione's house far too soon, and I landed in the yard , checking to make sure no one was near before I disillusioned myself. I walked up to her house and knocked on the door, steeling myself to greet her parents.

The door swung open and a big man stood in front of me. I looked at him, feeling small, and recognized Hermione's chocolate eyes. He was frowning at me and I nearly jumped when he barked out 'what do you want?'

"I'm here to pick up Hermione, Sir." I said, trying my best to smile politely.

"HERMIONE!" He yelled over his shoulder, turning back to me with a glare.

"You George?"

"Yes sir." I said, still standing on the porch. I was beginning to rather like it out here. It felt safer, easier to make a getaway from.

"If you harm one hair on her head, or make her cry, I swear to god I will kill you-magical or not." My eyes widened and I nodded my head. I had no doubt he would, and that scared me a little. I mean, he was a _big _man.

A thunder of feet sounded to my right, saving me from Mr. Granger. A moment later Hermione appeared at the door. She grinned at me before giving her dad a good bye hug.

She pulled her trunk out as Crookshanks ran into the middle of the yard, looking just as eager as her to get going. I shrunk the trunk and stuck it in my pocket. She looked at my broom warily and I offered her a sheepish smile.

"Sorry, love. We have to fly to an unpopulated area before I apparate away." She nodded her head, grabbing my hand and letting me pull her onto the broom. She squished back into me, clutching the broom tightly with one hand and holding Crookshanks in the other. I wrapped one arm around her waist, holding her tightly and grabbed the broom handle with the other. "Don't worry, Hermione, I won't drop you." I whispered into her hair as I kicked off the ground. She gave her head a tense nod, squishing into me. I squeezed her more tightly, loving the feel of her soft body in my arms-it had been far too long.

"Are we very high?" She asked, and I realized she had her eyes closed.

"No, we're not very high, love." I reassured her, moving my head so it was next to her ear. She shivered at the feel of my breath on her ear and pressed into me.

"Good." She said, and she slowly opened her eyes. She didn't look down, keeping her eyes straight ahead instead. I smiled against her neck and pulled back slightly. "This isn't so bad." She said after a moment. I grinned and nodded my head.

"I love it up here, I feel so free and powerful."

"Really?" She questioned, risking a quick glance down. She shivered for a moment and I tightened my grip on her, bringing us down slowly.

"Yep. It's my favorite activity." I said, bringing the broom down in a circle. "Have you ever apparated before?"

"No." She said cautiously. "Is it bad?"

"Not really, a bit uncomfortable but it doesn't actually hurt. I'd suggest closing your eyes." I hopped off the broom and helped her off. She tripped and fell into me, making me suck in a breath as she pressed her body into mine. She straightened up quickly, blushing and lowering her eyes.

"You ready?" I questioned, taking her hand. She nodded her head and closed her eyes. I braced myself and twisted into the air, apparating us away.

We landed on the front steps, and Hermione looked panicked. I handed her the note Dumbledore had left with me. "Here, read it silently and then focus on what it said. Don't say it aloud though until we're in." I told her. She nodded her head and read the simple message. She looked at me quizzically as the note self destructed, and then let out a gasp of surprise. I held my hand to my lip to signal her to be quiet and stepped up to the door. I pushed it open and let her go through first.

"This is incredible!" She exclaimed as soon as we entered the house, I tried to silence her but I was too slow.

"FILTHY MUDBLOOD! SCUM OF OUR EXISTANCE! BESMIRCHING MY HOUSE WITH YOUR FILTH!" Hermione's eyes grew wide and horrified by the voice. I gave her an apologetic glance and ran for the painting at the same time as Sirius emerged from the dining room.

"Shut up you foul woman!" He yelled, aiming his wand at the painting. A bang and a flash later and the curtain was shut.

"Welcome to Grimmauld place." I said with a grin.

-o-O-o-

"Thought I'd find you in here." I said quietly, walking up behind the big red chair that Hermione had curled up in. She had a rather small book on her lap and a very serious expression as she read it. Her eyes lifted up from the pages, looking tired from all the reading she had been doing. Despite the fact that we were in the middle of the summer heat, she had a blanket wrapped around her long night gown. She grinned up at me as I stepped nearer and handed her a mug of hot chocolate.

"Just what I needed." She murmured as she took the cup. I grinned back at her and sat on the arm of the chair, tightening my grip on my own cup.

"It's a necessity in this house. I've become quite a master at brewing it." I told her as I took a sip. She held it tightly in her hands, letting it's warmth seep through and warm her hands.

"Why is it so cold in this house?"

"Sirius's mum." I answered, shivering despite myself. Hermione noticed and scooted over in the chair, motioning for me to join her in the left over half a seat. I grinned gratefully and slid in next to her. She tucked the blanket around me and settled back, leaning into my arms with a satisfied sigh.

"Why did she make it cold?"

"Sirius reckons it was so that it would better match her 'cold' heart. I don't think the two of them got along to swimmingly."

Hermione shook her head and took a long sip of her cocoa. I took a sip of my own and watched her out of the corner of my eye. She looked tired and sad. I think she'd been stressing a lot over the summer. I couldn't blame her, we'd had less than a peaceful last few days. She was clearly worried about Harry, and the war that was coming. I was worried about it myself.

"You alright?" I asked after a few moments, breaking the silence that had descended upon us. She turned her head and looked up at me through her lashes with a searching air. Her eyes studied me, and I found myself studying her in return. After what felt like a few seconds, but impossibly long as well, she nodded her head.

"I'm alright, just a little stressed. I think it's everything that happened-it hasn't fully sunk in." She dropped her gaze from mine and leaned her head against my shoulder in a move that was incredibly comforting. "I missed you this summer."

"I missed you as well, love." I answered swiftly, finishing off my already cold cocoa. Its heat lasted all of five minutes in this house. It really was like the place was bewitched to be cold. Funny, I didn't notice it as much when I was next to Hermione. She seemed to radiate a gentle heat, almost like the warmth from her soul was trying to warm me up.

Godric's ghost, I've been cramped in this house too long, I'm starting to sound sentimental.

"So, what were you reading?" I asked, trying to break the heavy silence that had fallen over us.

"Hogwarts: A history." She admitted, blushing a little bit. I smiled even wider and picked it back up, flipping to the page she had stopped at. I held it open in front of us and scanned the page.

"Where'd you stop?" I asked, she grinned, still blushing and pointed to her spot.

"You don't have to, I know I'm the only book worm." She said shyly, looking at the book with a wistful expression.

"I actually don't mind this book, I read it a few years ago." I told her. She looked up at me with wide eyes, her mouth dropping open slightly.

"You've read it?"

"Yes," I said, smiling wryly at how shocked she looked. "You don't have to look so surprised I do know how to read."

"It's not that," she said with a blush, "you're just the first person I've talked to who has actually read the book." She finished, a very awed look coming across her face.

"Well, I actually found it interesting. There were a lot of useful facts in it."

"So you don't mind reading with me?" She questioned slightly disbelieving.

"Nah, I'd rather enjoy it." I answered, tugging her body nearer to mine and reopening the book.

Hermione snuggled into my side more and we both started to read the book. It was fun, but mostly it was relaxing. We didn't say anything but I felt closer to her in those minutes than I had in a long while.

We read four chapters and when we started the fifth one Hermione let out a very wide yawn. I grinned at the sight but also felt slightly sad. I would have loved to just lay here in this chair with her and fall asleep, but we (Fred and I) had learned that you did _not_ want to fall asleep anywhere but the rooms in this house- it didn't end well otherwise. All sorts of nasty creatures inhabited this house, and most of them liked nesting in human hair.

"Come on," I said quietly, climbing out of the chair. "I'll take you to bed." She made to sit up but I beat her to it. I picked her up, blanket and all and gripped my wand. I twisted into the air and we reappeared in her room. She stifled another yawn and held onto me a little tighter. I walked over to her bed and pulled the covers back with one hand before I gently laid her on the bed. She held onto my neck resolutely, seeming almost afraid to let me go.

"Do you have to leave?" She questioned.

"Hmm?" I asked, tearing my eyes from her full lips.

"Could you stay for a while?" She asked, blushing to the roots of her bushy hair. I grinned at her and nodded my head, tossing my robe onto the empty bed next to her and climbing up behind her.

"Budge over." I said, as I laid behind her. She grinned and moved further over on the bed. I wrapped my arm around her and brushed her curls from her neck before placing a soft kiss to the exposed skin there. "Just rest love." I whispered in her ear. She relaxed against me and allowed herself to be spooned. I wanted to stay with her all night, but I knew she'd be horrified if someone found us in the same bed. I'd stay until I was sure she was asleep and then I'd go back to my room.

Her breathing grew even beside me, and I found myself growing relaxed as well. I forced myself to stay awake, and once I was sure she was fast asleep I sat up slowly, being careful not to wake her.

I left a little note on her pillow and cast a warming charm on her so that the chill of the house wouldn't give her a cold.

-o-O-o-

"Welcome to the second annual meeting of 'how to get in to the Order.'" Fred said in a mock grave voice. We all grinned as he held up his hands as if to silence thunderous applause. "We are inducting a new member tonight, so let's give a big welcome to Hermione Granger!" We all clapped as Hermione blushed and let out a quiet chuckle. We were all hiding out in the library, Fred, Hermione, Ginny, Ron, and myself, and we were trying to figure out a way to get into the order's meeting. We'd been trying this since we'd arrived, with absolutely no luck. I was hoping Hermione's brilliance might help us with this a little bit.

"Now, our first official order of business is about the doors." Fred continued, a frown crossing his face. "I'm going to turn the meeting over to Ginny to discuss our latest intelligence."

Fred sat down next to me and Ginny hopped up, taking the spot in the middle of our half formed circle. "Okay, so last night we discovered that they've been using imperturbable charms on the doors, which is why our attempt with the ears haven't been working. Aside from that they're also using super sensory charms. So, if we get closer than a meter to the doors, the alarm sounds inside, letting them know we're trying to eaves drop." She sat back down and Ron stepped up, looking almost comically grim.

"I've got a list of all the order members attending the meeting." He said, looking down at a scrap of parchment. "All the same names as last time, but we've gained Figgs, Madame Hooch, and Mrs. Longbottom." He said, scanning the list with a furrowed brow. "Yeah, that's about it."

He sat back down and I stepped forward. "Alright, we've got an inside spy, as most of you are aware, and he told me that the vent over the left side of the table was going to be unprotected." I took a deep breath, trying to fight back some of my giddiness. "So, we take an ear and go in through the vent in your room, Gin. We should be able to hear what's going on."

"Brilliant!" Ron, Fred, and Ginny exclaimed, hopping up in excitement.

"Yeah, since the meeting starts in about five minutes, we've got to hurry up." They nodded their heads and headed towards the door. Hermione stepped up beside me and clasped my hand loosely in her own. We headed towards Ginny's room, where we were hiding our stash of Extendable Ears, and Ginny reached it first. She opened the door and let out a quiet squeak of horror. Fred pushed past her, his wand drawn, probably expecting some horrible creature had gotten in. I stepped beside him, my wand drawn as well.

The room was perfectly fine, but in the middle of the floor was a pile (our entire stock) of half chewed Extendable ears, with a very happy half cat nestled in the middle of them.

"CROOKSHANKS!"

-o-O-o-

"Did you cast the sealing charm, or do I need too?" Fred asked, looking over our extendable ears with a frown.

"I haven't yet, but I was just about to if you would kindly step aside." Fred grinned and stepped aside with a bow.

"After you, my good sir." He said. I grinned and stepped up to the ears. I murmured the incantation and waved my wand over them in a complex pattern.

"All good. Shall we try and listen again?"

"Listen to what?" I jumped and we both spun around, blocking the ears with our bodies. Hermione was standing in the door way with a smile, that turned into a disapproving look when she saw we were trying to hide our objects. She had been here for two days and had been fairly busy with Ron going over everything that had happened.

"What are you two doing?"

"Oh," I said, breathing a sigh of relief. "It's you."

"We thought it was mum." Fred continued. I smiled and stepped towards her, wrapping my arm around her shoulders.

"We're working on some more extendable ears." I explained with an easy smile. "Crookshanks and mum destroyed our last batch. She's trying to destroy our future store again."

"Sorry." Hermione said, stepping into the room and looking at the ears. "Need any help?" My heart swelled in my chest and I looked at her with what was probably a very sappy look. I loved it when she showed an interest in our pranks. Fred smacked the back of my head and brought me back to myself. I shook my head and stepped towards her.

"No, we're good, love."

"Let me know if you change your mind." She said, stretching up and pressing a chaste kiss to my lips. She pulled back quickly and stepped out of the room, leaving me watching her leave with wide eyes. Merlin's beard, she'd just become even hotter-I'd not thought it was possible.

"So," Fred said, reeling me back in. "The ears'll be ready in about five minutes. Let's put the finishing touches on them before Harry gets here.

Harry, not good. He was facing an enquiry at the ministry for casting the Patronus charm. A bunch of the order members had left to rescue him before the ministry could snap his wand. He'd be here soon.

'SO YOU HAVEN'T BEEN IN THE MEETINGS, BIG DEAL! YOU'VE STILL BEEN HERE, HAVEN'T YOU? YOU'VE STILL BEEN TOGETHER! ME, I'VE BEEN STUCK AT THE DURSLEYS' FOR A MONTH! AND I'VE HANDLED MORE THAN YOU TWO'VE EVER MANAGED AND DUMBLEDORE KNOWS IT - 'WHO SAVED THE PHILOSOPHER'S STONE? WHO GOT RID OF RIDDLE? WHO SAVED BOTH YOUR SKINS FROM THE DEMENTORS?'

Well, judging by that tone, he was already here.

"Okay, better hurry up." Fred said with a grin. "Sounds like Harry has arrived."

"WHO HAD TO GET PAST DRAGONS AND SPHINXES AND EVERY OTHER FOUL THING LAST YEAR? WHO SAW HIM COME BACK? WHO HAD TO ESCAPE FROM HIM? ME!"

"You reckon he's yelling at Ron and Hermione?" I asked, feeling a bit of brotherly protectiveness rise up in me. Harry had no right to yell at my baby brother, or my girl friend.

"BUT WHY SHOULD I KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON? WHY SHOULD ANYONE BOTHER TO TELL ME WHAT'S BEEN HAPPENING?"

"Yeah, I'd say so." Fred said with a frown, casting the final charms.

"CAN'T'VE WANTED TO THAT MUCH, CAN YOU, OR YOU'D HAVE SENT ME AN OWL, BUT DUMBLEDORE MADE YOU SWEAR -FOUR WEEKS I'VE BEEN STUCK IN PRIVET DRIVE, NICKING PAPERS OUT OF BINS TO TRY AND FIND OUT WHAT'S BEEN GOING ON – "

"Those done yet?" I asked, getting ready to go stop Harry's rampage.

"Yep." Fred said, grabbing them up.

'I SUPPOSE YOU'VE BEEN HAVING A REAL LAUGH, HAVEN'T YOU, ALL HOLED UP HERE TOGETHER - '

That did it. We were going to stop him now before he said anything else. That was my brother, and my girl that he was yelling at. I loved Harry, but he needed to realize this hadn't been a picnic for us either. This place was a far cry from the Burrow, and we weren't popular either.

"Let's go." Fred said. I nodded my head and together we twisted into the air.

We reappeared on the bed hearing a scream and Pidgwidgeon's excited hoots. Harry jumped and Pidgwidgeon took off. My eyes scanned the room quickly, noting a pale Ron sitting next to a teary eyed Hermione. My stomach twisted in an angry knot and I gave a fierce glare at Harry that I managed to mask quickly.

"'Hello, Harry' Fred said with a big grin. "We thought we heard your dulcet tones."

"You don't want to bottle up your anger like that, Harry, let it all out," I said with a grin. "There might be a couple of people fifty miles away who didn't hear you."

* * *

><p><em>AN: Enjoy this chapter, and don't forget to leave a review!_


	31. Chapter 31

Harry was not in a good mood, that much was clear. His eyes were darker than usual, a haunted look in them. He was extremely thin and looked like he hadn't had a goodnights sleep in a very long time. Still, the fact that Hermione looked like she had been crying made me feel a little irritated with him. His mood darkened more as we continued and he found out just how bad everything had been going. We were facing a major conspiracy, and the entire ministry was in on it. Dinner was tense to say the least, but it was helpful. Also, Fred and I found out that we could join the Order, something we'd wanted to do for a long while. (In case the meeting didn't give you the hint.)

Hogwarts would not be easy this year. At least we could get away from cleaning though. (There wouldn't be any nasty creatures in the curtains either.)

"George, can I talk to you real quick?" Hermione asked, pulling me out of the dining room and into the hallway.

"Sure, love. What is it?" I asked, following her.

"Are you and Fred seriously joining the Order of the Phoenix?" She asked, her voice and eyes worried. I nodded my head, frowning.

"Yes, we've talked it over. We even sent a note to Dumbledore asking to join. If a wars coming we want to fight, we want to help stop Voldemort as much as we possibly can. I can't think of any better way than to join the Order."

"It's dangerous." She whispered, lowering her eyes.

"Yes, but we don't have a lot of options." I said quietly, lifting her chin.

"Couldn't you wait till after you finish school?" She asked timidly.

"We won't really be able to do anything until then anyway, but we want to go ahead and be ready to help. I would have thought you'd understand." I said.

"I do, I just, well, I'm worried." She finished, wrapping her arms around me tightly. "I don't want anything to happen to you, or Harry, or Ron, or Fred, or anyone. I'm scared."

"Me too, that's why I have to help."

"I don't want things to change." She whimpered, clutching my robes in her hand. I took her hand in mine and gently rubbed it, brushing my thumb against the back of it.

"Love, change is a part of life. The rest of the world is changing, a war's coming and we've got to be ready for it when it comes." Her eyes dropped and she sniffed sadly. "Having said that," I continued, lifting her chin, "something's won't ever change. Harry and Ron will always be your best mates, a few hastily yelled words won't change that. Second, I still care for you, I still want to date you. That hasn't changed." I finished, brushing my thumb against her cheek. She looked at me with eyes filled with emotion and stood up on her tip toes, pressing a firm kiss to my lips before turning and racing up the stairs. I watched her go feeling slightly winded.

"Come on, Lover boy." Fred said, coming up behind me and bringing me out of my daze. "We've got to get to bed. Busy day tomorrow." I nodded my head and followed him up the stairs. We went all the way to the top and then stopped at our shared room. I sat down on my musky smelling bed, it was against the wall with the door, and laid back, crossing my arms behind my neck.

Did I mention that I miss the Burrow?

"What's on your mind, Georgie?" I turned to my side so I was facing Fred.

"Just thinking about something Hermione said."

"What?"

"That everything is changing. I'm not sure I want it to." Fred let out a puff of air, mulling what I said over. He rolled over so he was lying on his back and looked up at the ceiling.

"Well, yeah, everything is changing, but it's still kind of the same, innit?"

"Huh?" I asked, not following his poorly described logic.

"Think about it. We're not at the Burrow, but we're still all together. Mum still won't let us make prank products, but we still make them anyway. Ron is still dense, Hermione still reads too much, and Harry is still angsty. Life has pretty much remained the same." I rolled back to my back and mulled that over. He had a pretty good point. We were all still the same, just a little older.

A pillow hit me in the chest followed by my twin. He threw himself of his bed and straight onto me, causing us both to bounce off the mattress and on to the floor. I let out a loud laugh and lunged for my twin.

Something's would just never change.

-o-O-o-

So, Harry survived his trial at the ministry with flying colors. He is safe to go to Hogwarts, Dumbledore came through for him. We only have a few more days till we get to go back to Hogwarts, and considering the fact that I am currently wearing scarf across my mouth as I try and protect myself against a curtain that has no wish other than to strangle me, I can't wait.

"Oh my god!" I laughed at Hermione's quiet exclamation as a doxy flew at her. We were once again cleaning a room, and this one was beyond infested with Doxies-nasty little bludgers that they are.

"Fred, what are you doing?" Mum snapped, making me jump and almost drop my spray can. I wasn't sure which one she was yelling at, she could never tell me and Fred apart when she was mad. "Spray that at once and throw it away!" She was yelling at Fred. He was holding a doxy in his hand and hadn't sprayed it yet. A grin lifted my lips as I stowed my own doxy away in my pocket while she was distracted.

"Right-o," Fred said brightly, spraying the Doxy quickly in the face so that it fainted. Mum turned back to her curtains, and he stowed it away in his pocket as well. He winked at Harry who was looking at us with a raised eyebrow.

"We want to experiment with Doxy venom for our Skiving Snackboxes," I whispered under my breath so that mum wouldn't hear me.

"What are Skiving Snackboxes?" Hermione glanced at us as Harry questioned us, shaking her head in amusement.

"Range of sweets to make you ill," I explained, still whispering. "Not seriously ill, mind, just ill enough to get you out of a class when you feel like it. Fred and I have been developing them. They're double-ended, color-coded chews. If you eat the orange half of the Puking Pastilles, you throw up. Moment you've been rushed out of the lesson for the hospital wing, you swallow the purple half – "

" - which restores you to full fitness, enabling you to pursue the leisure activity of your own choice during an hour that would otherwise have been devoted to unprofitable boredom." Fred recited with a grin. "That's what we're putting in the adverts, anyway," Fred said, stowing a few more into his pocket.

"But they still need a bit of work. At the moment our testers are having a bit of trouble stopping themselves puking long enough to swallow the purple end." I grinned at that. Our testers indeed.

"Testers?" Harry questioned with an upraised eyebrow.

"Us," Fred clarified. "We take it in turns. George did the Fainting Fancies - we both tried the Nosebleed Nougat – " I snorted and explained when Harry gave me a questioning gaze.

"Mum thought we'd been dueling."

"Joke shop still on, then?"

"Well, we haven't had a chance to get premises yet, so we're running it as a mail-order service at the moment. We put advertisements in the Daily Prophet last week."

"All thanks to you, mate," I added. "But don't worry . . . Mum hasn't got a clue. She won't read the Daily Prophet any more, 'cause of it telling lies about you and Dumbledore."

That made Harry grin happily. I knew he was more than willing to help us with the shop, but he didn't want mum to know lest she get mad at him as well.

"I think we'll tackle those after lunch." Mum said, dropping her spray can and pointing at a dusty glass cabinet at the other end of the room. It was full of weird objects: a selection of rusty daggers, claws, a coiled snakeskin, a number of tarnished silver boxes inscribed with languages, least pleasant of all, an ornate crystal bottle with a large opal set into the stopper, full of what looked like blood. Normally that would be fun to look through, but not here. It was lively to be full of booby traps that could be lethal. The doorbell rang suddenly and mum hopped up with a frown. Mrs. Blacks screeches started echoing around the halls again, making me laugh.

"Stay here," Mum said wearily, picking up a bag of rats and heading for the door. "I'll bring up some sandwiches." I sighed at that, trying not to look to depressed. This was torture, we couldn't do anything but clean. I wanted to relax, have some free time. Sit down and talk with Hermione, invent with Fred, play a game with Harry and Ron-anything but clean.

She left the room, closing the door carefully behind her. We all shot over to the window, all pushing each other to see who it was. I could see the top of an unkempt gingery head and a suck of precariously balanced cauldrons.

"Mundungus!" Hermione exclaimed. "What's he brought all those cauldrons for?"

"Probably looking for a safe place to keep them, isn't that what he was doing the night he was supposed to be tailing me? Picking up dodgy cauldrons?"

"Yeah, you're right!" Fred said as mum opened the door. "Blimey, Mum won't like that . . ." He grinned at me and we stepped across the room to the door, pressing our ear against it. Mrs. Black's screams had silenced, and another voice had taken it's place. We lunged back at the force of the screams, grinning at it.

"'WE ARE NOT RUNNING A HIDEOUT FOR STOLEN GOODS!"

"I love hearing Mum shouting at someone else," Fred said with as satisfied grin. I laughed and nodded my head as he opened the door to better hear what she was saying. "it makes such a nice change."

" - COMPLETELY IRRESPONSIBLE, AS IF WE HAVEN'T GOT ENOUGH TO WORRY ABOUT WITHOUT YOU DRAGGING STOLEN CAULDRONS INTO THE HOUSE – "

"The idiots are letting her get into her stride," I said, shaking my head. She'd never stop now. Ron and Fred nodded their heads, shuddering as she reached a particularly shrill note. "You've got to head her off early otherwise she builds up a head of steam and goes on for hours. And she's been dying to have a go at Mundungus ever since he sneaked off when he was supposed to be following you, Harry - and there goes Sirius's mum again." I finished. Hermione had tilted her head to listen and was now shaking it with a very amused smile. I made to shut the door again but Kreacher snuck in before I could.

Now, as I've mentioned before, I am a member or SPEW, so I get along fairly well with house elves. I like them and try to treat them nice, but I _hate _Kreacher. Not because he's unpleasant, but because he's purposefully hateful to Hermione. He nearly had her in tears once, she tried to hide it but I could see it. she'd tried really hard to be nice to him and he'd just shunned her.

". . . smells like a drain and a criminal to boot, but she's no better, nasty old blood traitor with her brats messing up my mistress's house, oh, my poor mistress, if she knew, if she knew the scum they've let into her house, what would she say to old Kreacher, oh, the shame of it, Mudbloods and werewolves and traitors and thieves, poor old Kreacher, what can he do . . ."

"Hello, Kreacher!" Fred said very loudly, closing the door with a slight slam. Kreacher froze and turned with a very unconvincing look of surprise.

"Kreacher did not see young master," he said, turning around and bowing to Fred. Still facing the carpet, he added, perfectly audibly, "Nasty little brat of a blood traitor it is." I stepped forward, deciding to freak him out a bit. He'd never seen twins before us and it unnerved him that there were two of us.

"Sorry? Didn't catch that last bit."

"Kreacher said nothing," He said with a frown, bowing to me as well. "and there its twin, unnatural little beasts they are."

". . . and there's the Mudblood, standing there bold as brass, oh if my mistress knew, oh, how she'd cry, and there's a new boy, Kreacher doesn't know his name. What is he doing here? Kreacher doesn't know . . ." I stepped forward, reaching for my wand in anger. Hermione's hand shot out of nowhere and grabbed my own, pulling it away from my pocket.

"This is Harry, Kreacher," She said tentatively, shaking her head at me. "Harry Potter."

"The Mudblood is talking to Kreacher as though she is my friend, if Kreacher's mistress saw him in such company, oh, what would she say –"

"Don't call her a mudblood!" Fred, Ron, Ginny, and I chorused together fiercely.

"It doesn't matter," Hermione whispered, "he's not in his right mind, he doesn't know what he's – "

"Don't kid yourself, Hermione, he knows exactly what he's saying," Fred said darkly, glaring at Kreacher as well.

"Is it true? Is it Harry Potter? Kreacher can see the scar, it must be true, that's the boy who stopped the Dark Lord, Kreacher wonders how he did it – "

"Don't we all, Kreacher," Fred said, cutting him off.

"What do you want, anyway?" I asked. He turned his baleful eyes back to me.

Kreacher is cleaning," he said evasively.

"A likely story," Sirius said, sneaking into the room. He was probably trying to get away from mum's shouting match. At the sight of Sirius, Kreacher flung himself into a ridiculously low bow that flattened his snout like nose on the floor. "Stand up straight," he said impatiently. "Now, what are you up to?"

"Kreacher is cleaning," the elf repeated, Fred and I snorted in disbelief. "Kreacher lives to serve the Noble House of Black – "

"And it's getting blacker every day, it's filthy," Sirius commented, making Fred, Ginny, Ron, Harry, and myself grin. Hermione was still looking at Kreacher with a sad frown.

"Master always liked his little joke," Kreacher said, bowing again, and continuing in an undertone, "Master was a nasty ungrateful swine who broke his mother's heart – "

"My mother didn't have a heart, Kreacher," Sirius snapped. "She kept herself alive out of pure spite." We all grew uncomfortably quiet. You didn't have to have the 'gift' of sight to see that there were some issues there.

"Whatever Master says. Master is not fit to wipe slime from his mother's boots, oh, my poor mistress, what would she say if she saw Kreacher serving him, how she hated him, what a disappointment he was – " He began to shuffle away, still muttering under his breath. "- comes back from Azkaban ordering Kreacher around, oh, my poor mistress, what would she say if she saw the house now, scum living in it, her treasures thrown out, she swore he was no son of hers and he's back, they say he's a murderer too –"

"Keep muttering and I will be a murderer!" Sirius said irritably as he slammed the door shut on the elf.

"Sirius, he's not right in the head," Hermione pleaded, "I don't think he realizes we can hear him." As naïve as that was, it was one of the reasons I liked her. She insisted on looking for the good in people or creatures, even if there was none to be found. She always tried to give the benefit of the doubt. "If you could just set him free," She continued hopefully, "maybe – "

"We can't set him free, he knows too much about the Order. Anyway, the shock would kill him. You suggest to him that he leaves this house, see how he takes it."

The door flew open behind us and we all spun around to see a very irritated mum holding a tray of sandwiches. "Lunch."

-o-O-o-

"'What's the matter?" Fred asked impatiently, moving around Ron to look over his shoulder at the parchment that Ron was looking at in shock. We'd just gotten our Hogwarts letters in.

Fred's mouth fell open, too.

"Prefect?" he said, staring incredulously at the letter. "Prefect?" My mouth dropped open in shock and I leapt forward, seizing the envelope and turning it upside down. Sure enough, a little gold and scarlet badge fill into my open hand.

"No way." I said quietly, disbelief filling me. How had Ron gotten this? Harry was the obvious choice-I love Ron but he wasn't prefect material.

"There's been a mistake," Fred said, holding the letter up to the light. "No one in their right mind would make Ron a prefect." We both turned towards Harry

"We thought you were a cert!" Fred explained, though he sounded accusing.

"We thought Dumbledore was bound to pick you!" I felt wronged for some reason, how silly is that?

"Winning the Triwizard and everything!"

"I suppose all the mad stuff must've counted against him,"

"Yeah , you've caused too much trouble, mate. Well, at least one of you's got their priorities right." Fred finished with a grin, and we patted Harry on the back. Harry looked heart broke, he must have wanted it as well.

The door banged open. Hermione came tearing into the room, her cheeks flushed and her hair flying.

There was an envelope in her hand. Oh Godric, she was a prefect as well!

That could be problematic. My girlfriend was charged with stopping pranksters, something I was best known for being.

"Did you - did you get - ?"

She spotted the badge in Harry's hand and let out a shriek. I tried to shake my head and give her the idea that it wasn't him, but she didn't notice.

"I knew it!" she said excitedly, brandishing her letter. "Me too, Harry, me too!"

"No, it's Ron, not me." Harry said in a subdued tone.

Hermione's eyes widened and she looked horrified by her mistake. "It - what?"

"Ron's prefect, not me,"

"Ron? But . . . are you sure? I mean – "

"It's my name on the letter," Ron said defiantly.

"I . . . well . . . wow! Well done, Ron! That's really – "

"Unexpected," I offered, taking the spotlight off of her and giving her a chance to regain her thoughts.

"No," She said, blushing but giving me a grateful smile. "no it's not . . . Ron's done loads of . . . he's really . . ."

The door behind her opened a little wider and mum came in carrying a pile of laundry. "Ginny said the booklists had come at last. If you give them to me I'll take them over to Diagon Alley this afternoon and get your books while you're packing. Ron, I'll have to get you more pajamas, these are at least six inches too short, I can't believe how fast you're growing . . . what color would you like?"

"Get him red and gold to match his badge," I said with a smirk, letting the cat out of the bag.

"Match his what?"

"His badge, " Fred said, with the air of getting the worst over quickly."His lovely shiny new prefect's badge."

"His . . . but . . . Ron, you're not . . .?" She asked after a moment.

Ron held up his badge. Mum let out a shriek and bounced on the spot. "I don't believe it! I don't believe it! Oh, Ron, how wonderful! A prefect! That's everyone in the family!"

What? Everyone in the family? "What are Fred and I, next-door neighbors?" I asked indignantly, feeling hurt as she pushed me aside to get at Ron.

"Wait until your father hears! Ron, I'm so proud of you, what wonderful news, you could end up Head Boy just like Bill and Percy, it's the first step! Oh, what a thing to happen in the middle of all this worry, I'm just thrilled, oh, Ronnie – "

I turned toward Fred with disbelieving eyes. She'd completely forgotten us, didn't even bother to correct her mistake. That just hurt.

"Mum . . . don't . . . Mum, get a grip . . ." Ron muttered..

"Well, what will it be? We gave Percy an owl, but you've already got one, of course."

"W-what do you mean?" Ron asked in disbelief.

"You've got to have a reward for this! How about a nice new set of dress robes?"

Wow, I'd never felt so forgotten. She'd never offered to buy us anything. The only thing we'd ever gotten was complaints and howlers. We had to buy our own stuff. We weren't even given a pet.

"We've already bought him some," Fred said sourly

"Or a new cauldron, Charlie's old one's rusting through, or a new rat, you always liked Scabbers –" mum continued, still ignoring us.

"Mum," said Ron hopefully, "can I have a new broom? Not a really good one! Just - just a new one for a change , . ."  
>Mum hesitatied then nodded her head. "Of course you can . . . well, I'd better get going if I've got a broom to buy too. I'll see you all later . . . little Ronnie, a prefect! And don't forget to pack your trunks . . . a prefect . . . oh, I'm all of a dither!" She gave Ron yet another kiss on the cheek, sniffed loudly, and bustled from the room.<p>

I looked at Fred who looked like I felt. "You don't mind if we don't kiss you, do you, Ron?" He asked in a falsely anxious voice, trying to relieve our tension.

"We could curtsey, if you like," I said, stepping towards Hermione. I gave her a quick hug and followed it up with a swift kiss. "Congratulations, love." I twisted into the air and disappeared with Fred.

* * *

><p><em>AN: Enjoy this chapter, and don't forget to leave a review!_


	32. Chapter 32

Hogwarts, Hogwarts, hoggy warty Hogwarts! We are back, yes!

No more cleaning, no more mum following me and Fred around to make sure we're not inventing anything. Krum isn't here either, so I don't have to worry about him trying to steal Hermione away. I am so excited!

Okay, now that that's out of my system, on with the story.

We had to split up from the rest of the group when we boarded the Hogwarts Express. Hermione and Ron went to the prefects train, Fred and I went with Lee to discuss our business plans. He was the only one we had told about the money, I hadn't even told Hermione about it.

The Entrance Hall was ablaze with torches and echoing with footsteps as we crossed the flagged stone floor. My eyes scanned the great hall as we headed for our spot. I looked up at the head table, and noted with a slight sense of alarm that Hagrid was missing, and a short, toad faced (I swear she looked like a toad) woman was sitting in the DADA's position.

I sat down next to Fred and let my eyes scan the familiar faces. Hermione, Ron, and Harry came in and Hermione headed straight for me. I grinned at that, apparently she was going to be more open about dating me than she had last semester.

"Hey, love." I said as she sat down. She grinned, grasping my hand loosely before turning to frown at the head table.

A long line of scared-looking first-years entered, led by Professor McGonagall, who was carrying a stool on which sat an ancient wizards hat, heavily patched and darned with a wide rip near the frayed brim. The good old Sorting Hat, it looked just as rough as ever. The buzz of talking in the Great hall faded as the first years lined up.

The whole school waited with bated breath. Then the rip near the hat's brim opened wide like a mouth and the Sorting Hat burst into song. He went on for a while, but he didn't sing the normal type of song. He sang about not wanting us to split, insisting we join together now.

_And never since the founders four_

_Were whittled down to three_

_Have the houses been united_

_As they once were meant to be._

_And now the Sorting Hat is here_

_And you all know the score:_

_I sort you into houses_

_Because that is what I'm for,_

_But this year I'll go further,_

_Listen closely to my song:_

_Though condemned I am to split you_

_Still I worry that it's wrong,_

_Though I must fulfil my duty_

_And must quarter every year_

_Still I wonder whether Sorting_

_May not bring the end I fear._

_Oh, know the perils, read the signs,_

_The warning history shows,_

_For our Hogwarts is in danger_

_From external, deadly foes_

_And we must unite inside her_

_Or we'll crumble from within_

_I have told you, I have warned you . . ._

_Let the Sorting now begin._

"Well that was subtle." Fred said with a grin, shaking his head.

"Yeah, reckon he thinks we've got a fight coming?"

"I wonder if it's ever given warnings before?" Hermione questioned, sounding anxious

"Yes, indeed," Nearly Headless Nick said knowingly. "The Hat feels itself honor-bound to give the school due warning whenever it feels – " He stopped because Minnie started the sorting, but his words left me feeling slightly unnerved.

Why had I thought Hogwarts would be safe?

-o-O-o-

We are in deep, deep, trouble. The ministry is officially interfering with Hogwarts. Umbridge (the toad faced teacher) is the under secretary to the minister, and our new DADA teacher. A class we have to take. We literally have no choice in the matter, Fred and I aren't in DADA, and we've been told it's not an option we _have_ to attend.

So, needless to say we were headed to breakfast feeling a little tense already.

"I hope Fred and George hurry up and get those snackboxes sorted." Ron muttered, glaring at his time table.

"Do mine ears deceive me?" Fred asked, sounding appropriately surprised. I squeezed into the seat next to Hermione and smiled at her. "Hogwarts prefects surely don't wish to skive off lessons?" Fred continued, spooning some eggs onto his plate.

"Look what we've got today," Ron said grumpily. "That's the worst Monday I've ever seen."

"Fair point, little bro," Fred scanning the timetable with a frown. "You can have a bit of Nosebleed Nougat cheap if you like." He said, giving it back to him.

"Why's it cheap?" Ron asked suspiciously.

"Because you'll keep bleeding till you shrivel up, we haven't got an antidote yet" I said, swallowing a spoonful of eggs.

"I think I'll take the lessons."

"And speaking of your Skiving Snackboxes," Hermione said moodily. I looked at her and was surprised to see her glaring at me. "you can't advertise for testers on the Gryffindor noticeboard."

"Says who?" I asked in surprise.

"Says me, and Ron." She said darkly.

"Leave me out of it," Ron said quickly.

"You'll be singing a different tune soon enough, Hermione," Fred said, I was too shocked to speak. My girl friend had just threatened me. It was too early in the term to start this drama, I didn't want to have this argument yet-ever really.

"You're starting your fifth year, you'll be begging us for a Snackbox before long." He finished, biting his crumpet.

"And why would starting fifth year mean I want a Skiving Snackbox?" Hermione asked, sounding curious.

"Fifth year's OWL year," I told her with a shrug.

"So?"

"So you've got your exams coming up, haven't you? They'll be keeping your noses so hard to that grindstone they'll be rubbed raw,"

"Half our year had minor breakdowns coming up to OWLs," I informed her, remembering how hellish that year had been. "Tears and tantrums . . . Patricia Stimpson kept coming over faint . . ."

"Kenneth Towler came out in boils, d'you remember?"

I grinned, that was a brilliant prank. "That's 'cause you put Bulbadox powder in his pajamas,"

"Oh yeah," Fred said, grinning. "I'd forgotten . . . hard to keep track sometimes, isn't it?"

"Anyway, it's a nightmare of a year, the fifth, I said, turning back to her. "If you care about exam results, anyway. Fred and I managed to keep our peckers up somehow."

"Yeah . . . you got, what was it, three OWLs each?" Ron asked. I nodded my head. He was trying to embarrass me but it wouldn't work. I didn't need owls to show I was smart, I had no need for them.

"Yep, But we feel our futures lie outside the world of academic achievement."

"We seriously debated whether we were going to bother coming back for our seventh year, now that we've got-" Harry shot a warning glare at Fred so I took over.

"- now that we've got our OWLs. I mean, do we really need NEWTs? But we didn't think Mum could take us leaving school early not on top of Percy turning out to be the world's biggest prat."

"We're not going to waste our last year here, though. We're going to use it to do a bit of market research, find out exactly what the average Hogwarts student requires from a joke shop, carefully evaluate the results of our research, then produce products to fit the demand."

"But where are you going to get the gold to start a joke shop?" Hermione asked skeptically. "You're going to need all the ingredients and materials - and premises too, I suppose . . ."

I froze. I hadn't told her about what happened with Harry. Last time I'd kept something from her though it had really strained our relationship.

"Ask us no questions and we'll tell you no lies, Hermione. C'mon, George, if we get there early we might be able to sell a few Extendable Ears before Charms." Fred pulled me out of my seat, freeing me from the dilemma. I flashed Hermione again, not missing the frown she shot me.

I was already missing Grimmauld place.

-o-O-o-

Fred and I were testing our fainting fancies on some first years later that night. We told them what we were giving them, and warned them to be sitting down but most hadn't followed our advice. It was a little annoying, but we couldn't do anything about it. Fred passed out the candy while I got ready to write down the reactions. Lee had the antidote in his hand.

As soon as they swallowed the sweets they passed out, slumping in their seats, falling onto the floor, or sagging over the arm of the chairs. I started taking notes, making sure to check and see if any of them were actually getting hurt.

" That's enough!" Hermione said forcefully from behind us. I looked up in surprise and smiled at her.

"Yeah, you're right," I said with a nod. "this dosage looks strong enough, doesn't it?" I knew what she really meant, but I wasn't wanting to have this conversation.

"I told you this morning, you can't test your rubbish on students!"

"We're paying them!" Fred said indignantly.

"I don't care, it could be dangerous!"

"Rubbish," Fred said fiercely.

"Calm down, Hermione, they're fine!" I said as Lee put the curing half of the sweets into their mouths.

"Yeah, look, they're coming round now," Fred said. They were stirring ,and looked surprised to be in the floor. Great, now they made it look like we hadn't filled them in on what was going to happen.

"Feel all right?" I asked, bending down so that I was closer to the small dark-haired girl lying at my feet.

"I - I think so," she said shakily, looking at me with wide eyes. I helped her sit up, keeping a hand on her back incase she got dizzy.

"Excellent," Fred said happily, but the next second Hermione had snatched both our clipboards and the paper bag of Fainting Fancies from our hands.

"It is NOT excellent!"

"Course it is, they're alive, aren't they?" Fred said darkly.

"You can't do this, what if you made one of them really ill?"

"We're not going to make them ill, we've already tested them all on ourselves, this is just to see if everyone reacts the same – "

"Yeah, it's not against the rules anyway." I said.

"It is!" She insisted, getting angrier.

"Oh yeah?" I asked, feeling reckless. I'd done my homework on this and I was really proud of that fact. "Tell me the rule we're breaking.."

Her nostrils flared but she didn't answer. I had her. "Well, guess my little Prefect forgot I studied the rules." I said quietly enough that only she could hear me. "We're not hurting the kids, Hermione, I swear-"

"If you don't stop doing it, I'm going to – " she stuttered, looking incensed at me.

"Put us in detention?" Fred snapped.

"Make us write lines?" I asked, feeling nettled and angry. A bunch of people were watching us, and I did not like that I was being yelled at by my girlfriend. We hadn't broken any rules. So long as we paid these kids and they did it of their own free will, it was completely allowed.

Hermione drew herself up to her full height; her eyes were narrowed and her bushy hair seemed to crackle with electricity. I always found her breath taking when she was angry, she seemed so full of magic, but right now I was so angry that I knew I was probably sparking too.

"No," she said, her voice quivering with anger, "but I will write to your mother."

"You wouldn't," I said, my voice horrified. I took an unconscious step back from her, feeling like she'd just hit me. Mum would find a way to destroy our stock again. We couldn't have that keep happening, we'd run out of supplies. We only needed a little longer till we could get our store up and running. Just till the end of the school year. That's why we had come here at all. Mum couldn't get at us here, but now Hermione, my girlfriend, was trying to ruin that for me. I'd never felt so betrayed in my life.

"Oh, yes, I would," She said, her eyes flashing in anger. "I can't stop you eating the stupid things yourselves, but you're not to give them to the first-years," I couldn't even find words as she turned around and stormed off. I gave one look at Fred and then I stormed off as well, exiting through the portrait hole. I needed to leave now or I'd end up blowing up at her. I didn't care if I yelled, but I didn't want to talk to her or even look at her. I knew I'd regret it later if I did.

I had made it a point not to break any rules with this. I had studied them for three nights to find a way around it, and now she ruined all that work. She didn't even care. Just because some stupid first year had to act surprised that a fainting candy had caused him to wind up on the floor.

What a great start to the year.

I stepped out of the hole and walked forward, my hands deep in my pockets and my eyes downcast. I didn't know where I was going, I just needed to get away. I'd probably just go to our lab, I'd hang out there and work on the daydream charms.

I kept walking without looking where I was going, and I walked right into Katie Bell. She yelped and I reached out a hand to help straighten her without thinking about the fact that this was the same girl that had stalked me, and tried to bewitch me into liking her. She let me straighten her, and then fell forward from where I had over compensated, falling into my chest with a dull thud. She pushed her self back up right with a blush, her hands on my chest and her eyes wide.

"I'm sorry!" She gasped. I shrugged. She seemed almost normal, and I was too upset to really care. I heard a gasp behind me and I turned just in time to see a blur of bushy hair running the opposite way down the hall.

Bugger

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><p><em>AN: Enjoy this chapter, and don't forget to leave a review!_


	33. Chapter 33

"Hermione!" I yelled, stepping back from Katie and running after my girl. I was furious with her, but I was not letting her think for even one moment that I was being unfaithful.

I would never, ever, do that to her.

I raced down the halls, my eyes scanning the halls for any sign of her. I caught a glimpse of her bushy hair turning a corner, and I redoubled my speed, calling her name out again. She didn't even pause, but I ran all the faster, gaining on her. She was only about two meters in front of me. I was near enough to hear her let out a strangled sob, and it almost stopped me in my tracks. I had hurt her. I'd made her cry.

I caught up to her, grabbing her arm and forcing her to a stop before pulling her struggling body behind a knight statue.

"Let me go." She hissed, struggling against me and flailing her limbs. I held her tightly, but not enough to hurt her. I pulled her closer to me and held her until she stopped struggling. She let out a sob and a strangled few words. "Let me go, George, I don't want to talk to you."

"But I want to talk to you." I said, maneuvering my hold on her so that I could lift her chin up while making sure she didn't leave until I cleared this up. "Can I just have a few minutes of your time to explain what the hell just happened?" My use of language surprised her and she gave a timid nod. I'd never lost my cool with her before except for our one fight. I always managed to keep my anger in check.

"I did not do anything with Katie. She tripped and I caught her before I realized it was her. If I had realized who it was, rest assured I would have let her fall."

"She had her hands on your chest, George." Hermione said, tears still streaming down her cheeks. My stomach clenched and I felt hurt, annoyed, and guilty. Guilty because I had gotten people to laugh at her and had made it look like I was undermining her authority, and for making it where she could believe for even a second that I was being anything but completely faithful to her.

"I did not do anything with her, Hermione! How could you even think that for a moment? Have I ever given you any indications that I like Katie? The girl slipped a potion in my drink and stalked me!" I let my anger slip through my voice, letting her see that she had hurt me with her suspicion.

She studied me for a moment, her eyes filled with tears, but still piercing. "Alright." She said quietly.

I sighed, knowing she was still hurt and knowing that it was my fault that she was. I'd embarrassed her and made her look unintelligent for a moment. She felt that her intelligence was her only attribute, it wasn't even slightly true, but it was how she felt. By knowing something she didn't I'd made her feel like she'd lost her value. I should have told her what we'd been planning. I should have told her about the fact that it _was_ allowed. Technically anyway.

"I'm sorry." Her eyes grew wide and she looked at me with surprise and disbelief. I lowered my hands and let her go, giving her the freedom to leave. She looked at me with her beautiful chocolate eyes and took a small step towards me.

"What?"

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that to you. I was mad because you were yelling at Fred and me in front of everyone, and I didn't like the fact that you were using your prefect powers on me."

"I have to treat everyone equally, George. I can't let you and Fred off just because I'm dating you."

I lowered my eyes, really not wanting to have this conversation. "I know that. Could we maybe just not talk about this right now?" I asked, slouching even more.

"George, we need to talk about this." She said softly, her hand brushing mine softly. "I'm sorry." She continued, stepping closer to me and looking at me timidly. "I shouldn't have called you out like that in front of everyone. I promise never to do that again unless you are for dead certain breaking a rule that will get someone hurt. Otherwise, I'll come up to you privately." I looked up at her in surprise.

"You'd do that?" I questioned, feeling better.

"I should have done that to begin with."

"I promise to try not to undermine your authority again." I said softly, knowing that would cost me, but I had to do it. I couldn't let her go, I was too crazy about her.

"Could you do me one more favor though?"

"What?" I asked, feeling wary.

"Could you please not test on the first years?"

She looked at me with her big brown eyes and I said yes before I even gave it a thought. That was the moment I realized I was in trouble. Never again in my life would I be able to look at her when she had those eyes and say no to her. She'd somehow managed to wrap me around her little fingers.  
>And the really scary thing was, I found I didn't really mind.<p>

Fred was going to kill me though.

-o-O-o-

It's been three weeks since the start of term. We've been to all of our classes, and they're not too bad. DADA is terrible though, Umbridge is a horror. She is working for the ministry, and doesn't allow any spells to actually be used in her class. She's terrible to Harry, he's been getting detentions from her since the first day, and he won't tell what she does. Fred and I, while not thrilled with her, don't really care one way or another about her actual class. We don't need it, so we don't put any effort into it, which annoys the screwts out of her. Ron has made the quidditch team, and it's not going well.

Hogwarts isn't as happy as I remember it being, I'm seriously wanting to return to Grimmauld place.

Today though, it was not going to matter in the slightest. Today was Hermione's birthday, and I was going to make it special. She couldn't take time off for a real date, she had too much homework, so I was going to work on a different angle.

I was going to make her forget about how tense our lives had suddenly become. I was going to show her that it was going to be okay-even if I wasn't sure it would.

I put the finishing touches on my plan and stepped back to examine my handiwork. I was just good.

I hid in the corner between two bookshelves and held my breath while I waited for her to find me. I could hear her humming, a tune she absolutely loved and hummed frequently, some Muggle song, and I couldn't help but grin.

"All you need is-" She froze and let out a surprised squeak. A moment later a huge grin spread across her face, making her face light up with happiness. Her eyes scanned her favorite table.

"George," She gasped, stepping forward and biting her lip excitedly. "You've out done yourself this time." I grinned at that and stepped out from my hiding spot, causing her to yelp and step backwards.

"Happy birthday, Hermione!" I exclaimed. She let out a quiet laugh and stepped back up to me, grabbing me in a tight hug.

"This is beautiful, George." She whispered, holding me still tighter. I grinned like a maniac and held her close. I'd decorated her entire corner of the library with 160 candles. They were floating in the air, lined up on the bookshelves, and sitting on the table.

"I'm glad you like it." I said cheerily as she stepped towards the table. I lifted her bag onto the table along with my own and took out my notebook. She sat down beside me, positively beaming. She kept her eyes on me as she reached into her bag, but she turned with a furrowed brow, pulling a rectangular box out of her bag.

"What is this?" She questioned, noticing my gift for the first time.

"You know, most people just open presents." I said with a grin, recalling the last gift I had gotten her. She shook her head in amusement and opened the box, promptly letting out a gasp. She gingerly lifted the two knitting needles out of the box, and the turned in her seat, pressing a heated kiss to my lips. She pulled back after a moment, gushing over the gift. I sat dazed for a moment but shook it off and grinned down at her.

"They're enchanted, and you'll be allowed to use them outside of school. I made it so you could get ahead on your hat making for SPEW."

"They're brilliant." She breathed out, and then she made me forget my name again with her kiss.

-o-O-o-

MINISTRY SEEKS EDUCATIONAL REFORM  
>DOLORES UMBRIDGE APPOINTED<br>FIRST EVER HIGH INQUISITOR

Yeah, that pretty much describes how October is going. Not well.

Fred and I have been planning new pranks to pull on our new High Inquisitor, but surprisingly, the best rebellion possible was not our idea. I am extremely proud to say that Hermione Jean Granger, my girlfriend, had come up with a truly brilliant idea on how to get the toad-faced witch back. We are going to learn how to perform, and use, defensive spells from another teacher.

We are going to have Harry teach us-what better revenge is there?

It was the second weekend in October, also Hogsmeade weekend, and Hermione had told several people to meet us up in the Hogs Head.

Fred, Lee and I stopped by Zonko's for a few supplies before the meeting, and then we joined a large group of kids at the Hogs Head. We moved to the front and I claimed a table next to the trio while Fred went to get drinks for everyone.

"A couple of people?" I heard Harry say hoarsely to Hermione. "A couple of people?"

"Yes, well, the idea seemed quite popular," She said happily. "Ron, do you want to pull up some more chairs?"

"Hi," Fred said to Abe. "could we have . . . twenty-five Butterbeers, please?" Abe glared at him for a moment and then went to the back of the pub and grabbed a bunch of dusty butterbeers out. "Cheers," Fred said, handing them out. "Cough up, everyone, I haven't got enough gold for all of these . . ." Well, actually, we did, but we weren't sharing.  
>I scooted closer to Hermione, smiling excitedly. She looked nervous as people kept coming in. We'd definitely gotten over thirty people now.<p>

"Er," Hermione said as everyone sat down, her voice was higher than normal and she looked terrified. "Well - er - hi."

"Well . . . erm . . . well, you know why you're here. Erm . . . well, Harry here had the idea - I mean I had the idea - that it might be good if people who wanted to study Defense Against the Dark Arts - and I mean, really study it, you know, not the rubbish that Umbridge is doing with us - because nobody could call that Defense Against the Dark Arts - Well, I thought it would be good if we, well, took matters into our own hands." I flashed her a grin and she smiled, seeming more sure.

"And by that I mean learning how to defend ourselves properly, not just in theory but doing the real spells – "

"You want to pass your Defense Against the Dark Arts OWL too, though, I bet?" Michael Corner said, he was a Ravenclaw in her year.

"Of course I do, but more than that, I want to be properly trained in defense because . . . because . . .because Lord Voldemort is back." I, along with most everyone else, cringed at her use of the name. "Well . . . that's the plan, anyway," said Hermione. "If you want to join us, we need to decide how we're going to –"

"Where's the proof You-Know-Who's back?" A blond Hufflepuff questioned.

Hermione gave him a look that one might give at something disgusting they find in a loo. "Well, Dumbledore believes it –"

"You mean, Dumbledore believes him," The blond boy said, cutting her off.

"Who are you?" Ron asked, cutting him off. I gave him an approving nod, my mind already going over some products we could test on him.

"Zacharias Smith and I think we've got the right to know exactly what makes him say You-Know-Who's back."

"Look," Hermione said, intervening with a disapproving frown. "that's really not what this meeting was supposed to be about – "

"It's OK, Hermione," Harry said, finally speaking up.

"What makes me say You-Know-Who's back?' I saw him. But Dumbledore told the whole school what happened last year, and if you didn't believe him, you won't believe me, and I'm not wasting an afternoon trying to convince anyone."

Zacharias said dismissively, "All Dumbledore told us last year was that Cedric Diggory got killed by You-Know-Who and that you brought Diggory's body back to Hogwarts. He didn't give us details, he didn't tell us exactly how Diggory got murdered, I think we'd all like to know – "

Not all, I didn't care to know the specifics. It was enough to know he was back and he'd killed an innocent boy just for being there. I'd seen the affect it had had on Harry, that was enough.

"If you've come to hear exactly what it looks like when Voldemort murders someone I can't help you. I don't want to talk about Cedric Diggory, all right? So if that's what you're here for, you might as well clear out."

"So . . . like I was saying . . . if you want to learn some defense, then we need to work out how we're going to do it, how often we're going to meet and where we're going to –"

"Is it true," interrupted a girl with a long plait down her back, looking at Harry, "that you can produce a Patronus?"

"Yeah-Er - you don't know Madam Bones, do you?' he asked.

"She's my auntie, I'm Susan Bones. She told me about your hearing. So - is it really true? You make a stag Patronus?"

"Yes."

"Blimey, Harry!" Lee exclaimed, "I never knew that!"

"Mum told Ron not to spread it around," Fred said, grinning at Harry. "She said you got enough attention as it was."

"And did you kill a Basilisk with that sword in Dumbledore's office?" demanded Terry Boot. "That's what one of the portraits on the wall told me when I was in there last year . . ."

"Er - yeah, I did, yeah,"

"And in our first year, he saved that Philological Stone – "

"Philosopher's,"

"Yes, that - from You-Know-Who,"

"And that's not to mention, all the tasks he had to get through in the Triwizard Tournament last year - getting past dragons and merpeople and Acromantula and things . . ."

"Look, I . . . I don't want to sound like I'm trying to be modest or anything, but . . . I had a lot of help with all that stuff . . ."

"Not with the dragon, you didn't,' said Michael Corner at once. 'That was a seriously cool bit of flying . . ."

"Yeah, well – "

"Are you trying to weasel out of showing us any of this stuff?" said Zacharias Smith.

"Here's an idea," Ron said loudly, glaring at the git. "why don't you shut your mouth?"

"Well, we've all turned up to learn from him and now he's telling us he can't really do any of it."

That's it, I've officially had enough of this git. "That's not what he said," Fred snarled, causing the little puff to jump.

"Would you like us to clean out your ears for you?" I asked pulling one of our items out of my bag.

"Or any part of your body, really, we're not fussy where we stick this," Fred finished. Zac paled and leaned back into his seat, looking terrified.

"Yes, well," Hermione said, looking at the object with an upraised eyebrow. "moving on . . . the point is, are we agreed we want to take lessons from Harry?"

We all murmured in agreement. Well, except for Zac who was still looking at the object in my hand with a nervous gaze. Hermione started trying to decide a time and everyone got really, really off subject.

"Hem, hem," Ginny said in such a good imitation of Professor Umbridge that several people looked around in alarm. I let out a loud laugh, giving her an approving smile that made her grin in return. Hermione pulled a parchment from her bag and looked around, her eyes settling on me for a moment before turning back to the others.

"I - I think everybody should write their name down, just so we know who was here. But I also think," she took a deep breath and glanced at me again, "that we all ought to agree not to shout about what we're doing. So if you sign, you're agreeing not to tell Umbridge or anybody else what we're up to."

I reached for the parchment without a bit of hesitation, and Hermione grinned gratefully. I signed my name in bold letters and then handed it to Fred, who wrote his name just as big.

The rebellion had officially begun.

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><p><em>AN: Hey guys, hope this chapter doesn't disapoint! I've got lots of stuff planned and can't wait till we get deeper into the story. :) Leave a review and let me know your thoughts or if there is anything you want to see._


	34. Chapter 34

"

"DETENTION!" I jumped, turning around at the same time as Fred, nearly dropping my bag of fainting fancies.

"Excuse me?" I asked, tightening my grip on my bag and straightening up.

"Did she just try to give us detention-" Fred asked, raising an eyebrow with disbelief.

"For simply walking down the hallway?" I finished. Umbridge narrowed her eyes, stepping closer to us. Her heels made an ominous clicking noise against the marble floors, and despite her short stature she walked towards us confidently.

"Yes, detention, Mr. and Mr. Weasley."

"What for?" Fred asked with a fierce glare. "We didn't do anything." Technically we had. We'd just rigged a dung bomb to go off in five minute in the downstairs corridor, but it hadn't gone off yet and she'd come from upstairs so she wouldn't know about it.

"You are not in proper decorum." She said in her falsely sweet voice. I looked over at Fred and noticed his shirt was un-tucked and his tie loosened, just like me. I turned back to her in disbelief, my eyes wide.

"I shall expect you both at my office in ten minutes." She turned around on her heel and walked back upstairs, leaving me and Fred to watch her leave with open mouths.

"Was that actually allowed? Can you hand out a detention for decorum?" Fred asked, rounding on me with wide eyes.

"I don't know, I haven't read rules on dress. I never thought it'd be needed." I answered, feeling lost.

"Come on, let's get out of here before the bomb goes off." We went back to the common room, the trio was there already. I walked up behind Hermione and dropped my bag off next to her.

"Would you mind watching our stuff for a while?" I asked as she looked up at me.

"Sure, where are you two going?"

"Umbridge's office." I called over my shoulder as we left. If I'd have only taken a second to look behind me I probably would have seen all three of them grow pale and rise. As it was I only heard them call for us to come back. We were already late though, so we just kept going.

"What'll we be doing? Any ideas?" I asked as we neared her office. I knew Harry had had a few detentions, but I hadn't heard him talk about it.

"Not a clue."

"Can't be worse than cleaning cauldron's though-right?" I mused as we neared her office.

"Right." Fred said with a grin. He rapped his knuckles against the door and we both took on a bored expression.

"Come in." A sugary sweet voice called from inside. We stepped inside, stifling a shudder as we saw all the cat plates on the wall. There was a table set up in front of her desk, and she was sitting behind it, quietly sipping on a cup of tea as she looked at us. There was a quill and two sheets of parchment sitting on the table.

I recognized the quill after a moment, at the same time as Fred. We both let out surprised gasps and stepped back.

"No way." Fred said quickly, a fierce frown coming across his face.

"You've got to be mental if you think we're going to use that thing." Her eyes widened with surprise, clearly she hadn't expected us to recognize it. I'd have to thank Hermione for making me spend so much time in the library.

"Oh, but you will use it." She said simply, setting her cup down. "If you don't, I shall just have to find your siblings, Ronald and Ginerva, correct?" My mouth dropped open in shock and I felt Fred tense up next to me. Rage filled me as I looked at the short woman in front of me. She'd just threatened my family, the two members I felt most responsible for.

"What do you want us to do?" I asked, stepping forward with a glare.

"I thought I could persuade you. Just sit down at the table." We did as she said, slouching in our chairs miserably. "Frederick, pick up the quill. George, place your hands palm down on the table top so that I can see them." We followed her orders with a sinking stomach. This was not going to be fun.

"Now, Frederick, I want you to write these words: 'I Must Not Cause Trouble."' Fred sent her a glare and then stooped over the parchment. He took a breath, stealing himself for the pain, and started to write the words across the page. He reached the letter 'M' and I realized what Umbridge's plan was and how truly demented and evil this woman was. It wasn't his own hand that Fred was writing on, it was mine.

Fred realized at almost the same time as me and his eyes shot to mine in horror. His hand started to drop the quill but I locked my eyes with him, telling him not to with everything in me. I showed no pain on my face or my posture, forcing myself to keep it in. I was not letting that witch know she was getting to me. The anger welling up inside of me helped me to keep oddly calm, it seemed to help me keep focus.

He started to write again, his hand shaking a slight bit as he grew pale. The words continued to etch themselves across the back of my hand, leaving a terrible, searing pain in their wake. The pain I was feeling was nothing next to what Fred was going through though, he looked ready to faint. I was getting a constant stream of pain and panic from him. I couldn't imagine what it had to be like, I could never-

Merlin's Beard, I'd have to do it to him. The very thought made me want to hyperventilate, I wasn't sure I'd be able to even pick up the quill. I felt myself grow pale, and began to feel even more queasy.

I can't really describe what Fred is to me. I mean, he's my _Fred_. My other half, my soul, my best friend, my everything. He's always been there, no matter what he's got my back. I can't imagine living without him, I'd give my life up for him in a second without even thinking. I'd let myself get hexed, beaten, cursed, or harmed in any manner before I let anything happen to him. The thought that I would actually have to be the one inflicting the harm made a panic and anger rise within me that was worse than anything I'd ever felt. I was literally feeling dizzy and nauseous.

"Alright, I think it's George's turn." She said, not even bothering to look up. Fred looked at me out of the corner of his eye and handed me the quill, his hand shaking terribly as he passed it over. The look of pain, and fear-an emotion I had only ever seen in his eyes a handful of times-gave me a resolve I didn't think I had. I took the quill in a firm grip, letting my hand linger on his in an attempt to bring him some comfort. I didn't matter anymore. All that mattered was getting through this without hurting Fred anymore than necessary. Once we were out of this hell I'd focus on getting revenge, but Fred was all that mattered right now.

I turned back to my own parchment and wrote the letter swiftly in my best penmanship. The quicker I wrote it the less pain he'd feel. I forced all emotions out and focused solely on the letters. I would be strong for Fred, I would not let her win this battle.

My turn was up a moment later and Fred took the quill back, his hand shaking slightly. We did that for ten rounds and then I couldn't stand it any longer.

"You know, if I'm going to be forced to have you handwriting on the back of my hand, could you at least try to make it legible?" I asked, giving him a wink. He gave me a weak smile, seeming to feel a little better.

"Shut it or I'll do it in cursive." He said quickly. I laughed at that, not missing the fact that Umbridge shot us a glare. Good, we were annoying her.

"Ooh, know any runes?" I asked with a grin.

"Nah, but I could make them up." He offered, finishing the words up.

"Sure, go for it!" I exclaimed.

"Enough!" Umbridge snapped, looking up from her tea with a fierce glare. "I will have order!"

"Do you want us to write that now?" I asked, pretending to change the words.

"That's enough for tonight, I'll see you again tomorrow night." She snapped, rising from her chair and stepping towards the door. We nodded our heads and hopped up from our own chairs.

"Thank you, we've had a lovely time." I said coyly as we left. She narrowed her eyes at us even more.

"Yes, we'll bring the snack next time." Fred called as we left through the door. She slammed it behind us.

We both slumped against the wall, feeling incredibly dizzy from blood loss. I reached into my robe and pulled out two vials of blood replenishing potion. "Cheers." I mumbled before we downed it.

We pushed off the wall and headed back for the common room.

"That cannot possibly be legal." Fred muttered darkly.

"I doubt it, but who are we going to report it to? She works for the bloody ministry."

"We are deep in it in other words." Fred said with a frown.

"Yeah."

We were deep in it.

-o-O-o-

The minute we stepped through the portrait hole we were surrounded by Ron, Hermione, and Harry. They pulled us to the couch and pushed us down on it, all talking at once and making my already dizzy head start to pound.

"Here, put your hand in this." Hermione's voice broke through and I did what she asked without blinking. I let out a hiss of pain as my hand hit the thick, clear liquid, and then I felt the pain fade away.

"Godric, that feels so good." I breathed out, smiling at her gratefully. She gently rubbed the back of my hand, cleaning the blood off and stunning me with her intimate touch. She was cleaning the hand, but she was also caressing it. I couldn't tear my eyes off her as she touched me gently. She lifted her eyes slowly after a moment, seeming to become aware of the fact that I was watching her. Her brown eyes locked with mine and I felt the world around us begin to slip away-

"Do you two need a room?" Fred's cheerful voice brought me and Hermione back to earth. She blushed and averted her eyes.

"I was perfectly fine with the one I had, thank you very much." I said with a grin, turning back to him.

"This isn't your handwriting." Hermione said, looking up sharply.

"No." I said shortly, not directing my anger at her, but at Umbridge.

"What, you didn't write your message?" Ron asked, sounding surprised.

"No." Fred said equally as shortly.

"Umbridge did it?" Harry questioned, sitting on the table across from us.

"No, this is Fred's hand writing." Hermione said quietly.

"Yeah, she made us write on each other's hands." Fred said, frowning.

"Seemed to think it'd make it worse for us." I continued.

"Yeah, it bloody well was. Now I have to go around with George's rubbish handwriting." I grinned at that, glad he was looking better than earlier. I became aware after a moment that no one else was smiling, laughing, or even frowning. They were all looking at us with utter shock.

"That evil woman." Hermione hissed, a look of anger in her eyes unlike anything I had ever seen before.

"That's beyond evil." Ron muttered, still looking at me and Fred in shock.

"You lot just realizing that?" Fred asked raising his eyebrow.

"There is still some good news tonight." Harry said after a moment.

"What?" we both asked together, more than eager to change the subject.

"Dobby has found us a place for the DA." He said, his eyes lighting up. "We start next week."

Wicked.

-o-O-o-

It's fantastic!" said Cho, and several people murmured their agreement. Hermione rolled her eyes next to me, glaring at the Ravenclaw.

"It's weird," Fred said, frowning around at the room. I turned my head to listen to him and nodded my head in agreement. "We once hid from Filch in here, remember George? But it was just a broom cupboard then. . . ."

Before I could reply Hermione spoke up with a small grin. "Now why doesn't that surprise me?" I grinned at her and bumped her shoulder with my arm, causing her to grin even wider.

"Hey, Harry, what's that stuff?" asked Dean from the rear of the room. He was indicating the foe-glass and other paranoid objects. The room was seriously well outfitted, it had more supplies than Moody-err, Crouch's, office.

"Dark Detectors. Basically they all show when Dark Wizards or enemies are around, but you don't want to rely on them too much; they can be fooled. . . ."

He shuffled his feet nervously, glancing around the crowd. "Well, I've been thinking about the sort of stuff we ought to do first and – er -" Hermione's hand shot into the air, nearly hitting me in the process. "What, Hermione?"

"I think we ought to elect a leader," She said, beaming at Harry. He grinned slightly at her obvious excitement.

"Harry's leader," said Cho at once, looking at Hermione as though she were mad. What, did she think, that Hermione didn't want Harry as leader? Howe dense was she? I thought she was a Ravenclaw…

"Yes, but I think we ought to vote on it properly," She said, sounding unperturbed. "It makes it formal qand it gives him authority. So – everyone who thinks Harry ought to be our leader?"

Everybody in the room raised their hands, even the complete prat Zacharias Smith, though he did it very halfheartedly. I shot him a glare, making him pale slightly.

"Er – right, thanks," said Harry, whose face was burning a very bright red now. His eyes had grown wide when all the hands went up and he'd promptly lowered his eyes back down to his feet. "And – what Hermione?"

Hermione grinned again, and I couldn't help but laugh silently. "I also think we ought to have a name, It would promote a feeling of team spirit and unity, don't you think?" He smiled at her softly and nodded his head.

"Can we be the Anti-Umbridge League?" said Angelina hopefully. I snorted at that and nodded my head.

"Or the Ministry of Magic are Morons Group," Fred said with a grin.

"Perfect!" I exclaimed with an ill concealed laugh.

"I was thinking," Hermione said with a small smile, "more of a name that didn't tell everyone what we were up to, so we can refer to it safely outside meetings."

"The Defense Association?" said Cho, "The D.A. for short, so nobody knows what we're talking about?"

"Yeah, the D.A.'s good," said Ginny before anyone could give their opinion. "Only let's make it stand for Dumbledore's Army because that's the Ministry's worst fear isn't it?"

Dumbledore's Army, that was brilliant. Brotherly pride and excitement filled me as I beamed at my sister.

"All in favor of the D.A?" Hermione asked, kneeling up on her cushion and counting the hands in the air. Every hand was raised. "That's a majority – motion passed!" She stood up quickly and grabbed the paper we had all signed out of her bag, grabbing a inked quill also. She walked up to the wall and taped it to the mirror with the words 'Dumbledore's Army' in large, bold letters across the top. A chill went through me as I read it. It was all official now, we really were doing this, nearly the entire school was joining together to fight against Umbridge.

_For our Hogwarts is in danger_

_From external, deadly foes_

_And we must unite inside her_

_Or we'll crumble from within_

The words echoed in my head as I looked at the unassuming piece of paper. It really was like all of Hogwarts was encouraging us to fight back, like they wanted us to do this.

"Right," said Harry, when Hermione sat down beside me again, "shall we get practicing then? I was thinking, the first thing we should do is Expelliarmus, you know the Disarming Charm. I know it's pretty basic but I've found it really useful -"

"Oh please," said Zacharias Smith, rolling his eyes and folding his arms. "I don't think Expelliarmus is exactly going to help us against You-Know-Who, do you?"

I rolled my eyes and pointed another glare at Zacharias. I should have kept my weapon, we could have used it right now. Didn't this git know anything? That spell had saved Harry's life.

"I've used it against him," said Harry quietly. "It saved my life last June."

Smith opened and closed his mouth stupidly. No one else spoke. Hermione shifted next to me, beaming at Harry in satisfaction. I agreed with her, Harry was finally standing up for himself.

"But if you think it's beneath you, you can leave," Harry said, his voice still quiet.

Smith didn't budge, just lowered his eyes and flushed.

"Okay," he continued. "I reckon we should all divide into pairs and practice." Everyone hopped up to claim pairs, and I grabbed Hermione's hand before anyone else could. Fred had gone to Angelina, and Lee had gone with Alicia.

"What do you say Hermione, want to give it a go?" She beamed at me, nodding her head excitedly.

We went to a quieter corner of the room and Harry counted us off and the room was full of shouts and wands flying. I disarmed Hermione with a flick of my wand, and almost laughed at the surprised look on her face. I had forgotten she hadn't learned nonverbal magic yet. I'd been doing it since my fifth year.

I handed her back her wand and looked over with a wicked grin. Her eyes widened at the sight of it and she turned around to see what I was doing. I was using my vast knowledge of nonverbal spells to get a little revenge on old Smith. Every time he opened his mouth to disarm Anthony Goldstein, his own wand would fly out of his hand. Hermione started to shake as she pressed her hand up to her mouth to stifle her laugh so that no one would catch on.

Harry came over and got onto me, but Fred picked up the minute he left me, and Lee did after him so that Smith got very little practice done.

After all, it wasn't useful so why should he learn it?

* * *

><p><em>AN: Hey guys, hope this chapter doesn't disapoint! Leave a review and let me know your thoughts or if there is anything you want to see._


	35. Chapter 35

The next weeks seemed to fly by. The DA was the best part of the week, even though we couldn't have them every week, or even at the same time. It was probably a good thing though. It made Umbridge's classes unbelievable more fun to think about her face if she knew what we were doing. I thought I would have trouble keeping it a secret, but I never did. It actually made it more fun to think that she didn't know.

The amount of friendship I felt with the fellow members was also surprising. I hadn't really talked to half these people before the meetings, but now I considered almost all of them (save for a select few,) my friends. I was hanging out with more of them, greeting them in the hall, learning more about the houses than I'd ever know previously. I was getting just what the hat meant by unite within. Together we made a really great team, a lot like Hermione, Ron, and Harry. The Hufflepuffs loyalty helped hold the Gryffindors and Ravenclaws together; the Gryffindors persuaded the Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws into action; and the Ravenclaws helped us all take a step back and ask ourselves, is that really a good idea?' We made a unbeatable group together. I could only imagine what we would have been like with a few Slytherins and their notorious cunning.

We were at our fourth meeting, and Hermione had just come up with a truly ingenious way of communicating. She held up one of the Galleons, examining it as she spoke. "You see the numerals around the edge of the coins?" she asked. The coin gleamed fat and yellow in the light from the torches. "On real Galleons that's just a serial number referring to the goblin who cast the coin. On these fake coins, though, the numbers will change to reflect the time and date of the next meeting. The coins will grow hot when the date changes, so if you're carrying them in a pocket you'll be able to feel them. We take one each, and when Harry sets the date of the next meeting he'll change the numbers on his coin, and because I've put a Protean Charm on them, they'll all change to mimic his." A deafening silence greeted Hermione's words. She looked around at all the faces upturned to her, rather disconcerted, clearly not recognizing the awe we were all looking at her with.

I beamed at her, hoping it would let her know we all approved. She smiled falteringly at me, still looking uncomfortable at the lack of response and all the eyes on her. "Well - I thought it was a good idea," she said uncertainly. "I mean, even if Umbridge asked us to turn out our pockets, there's nothing fishy about carrying a Galleon, is there? But . . . well, if you don't want to use them – " I opened my mouth to tell her just how brilliant she was but I got beat out.

"You can do a Protean Charm?" said Terry Boot with awestruck eyes. He was one of the members I didn't like, mainly because of the way he looked at Hermione. I was not going through this again. Merlin, do not make me go through this again. I just got rid of Krum!

"Yes," Hermione answered, completely oblivious to the fact that Terry was practically drooling at her.

"But that's . . . that's NEWT standard, that is," He said weakly. My hand tightened around my wand handle and I was drawing it out of my pocket with out another thought. Fred gripped my arm subtly, shaking his head at me. I took a breath and forced myself to relax. I released my hold on my wand and shot Terry a fierce glare instead. Git would be on my list now. If he even so much as looked at my girl again, he was going to be an unknowing test subject.

"Oh," said Hermione, looking embarrassed. "Oh . . . well . . . yes, I suppose it is."

"How come you're not in Ravenclaw?" Terry demanded, staring at Hermione. "With brains like yours?"

Hermione, still oblivious to his flirting answered happily. "Well, the Sorting Hat did seriously consider putting me in Ravenclaw during my Sorting," she said brightly, "but it decided on Gryffindor in the end. So, does that mean we're using the Galleons?" There was a murmur of assent, and she moved to sit next to me again. I wrapped my arm around her loosely, subtly claiming her in a way she wouldn't notice. Terry's eyes narrowed and I didn't repress my smirk.

"You know what these remind me of?" Harry whispered. She turned her head and raised her eyebrows.

"No, what's that?" She asked.

Harry got an evil grin before he answered."The Death Eaters' scars. Voldemort touches one of them, and all their scars burn, and they know they've got to join him."

Hermione blushed vividly before fumbling with her hand. "Well . . . yes, that is where I got the idea . . . but you'll notice I decided to engrave the date on bits of metal rather than on our members' skin," she said.

"Yeah . . . I prefer your way," said Harry, grinning, as he slipped his Galleon into his pocket. "I suppose the only danger with these is that we might accidentally spend them."

"Fat chance," said Ron, who was examining his own fake Galleon with a slightly mournful air, 'I haven't got any real Galleons to confuse it with."

We all chuckled lightly at that before Harry told us to pair off again. I grabbed Hermione's hand in my own and led her to a far corner, noticing that Terry was walking towards us. Fred and Lee stepped in front of him and said something that made the Ravenclaw visibly turn several shades paler.

I grinned at my twin and best friend,, sending them the most grateful smile I could. They winked at me and went back over to Angelina and Alicia. I turned my full attention back to Hermione and started practicing impedimenta with her. She perfected the spell quickly, masterfully manipulating the magic around her with hardly any effort. Watching her move I was struck with just how smart, powerful, and beautiful she really was. She could really have her pick of guys, yet she happily chose to be with me.

I started to goof off a slight bit, thrilled when she let her laugh out. I loved her laugh; it was light, free, and always bubbled out of her as though she was really vocalizing her happiness. She wouldn't often let it out in front of other people, but when she did it always floored me and made me want to do a back-flip.

She'd laughed a lot more since we'd been dating, but usually only when we were alone. She wasn't doing that as much any more, she was laughing more freely. She always curled in on herself when she really laughed, clutching her stomach as her entire body shook with laughter. It always made me light headed and incredibly warm, filling me with the desire to ravish her completely. She had absolutely no idea how incredibly hot I found her, even though I told her frequently. I needed to find some way to make her believe it. At least until then I could enjoy her hotness.

-o-O-o-

The first Quidditch match of the year has officially arrived.

"'OK, I've only just found out the final line-up for Slytherin," Angelina said, consulting a piece of parchment while giving us the usual pre-match pep talk. It was her first one as captain, but she wasn't doing bad. Fred was pathetic though, he kept giving her this sappy look that made me want to smack him. The boy was completely smitten. "Last year's Beaters, Derrick and Bole, have left, but it looks as though Montague's replaced them with the usual gorillas, rather than anyone who can fly particularly well. They're two blokes called Crabbe and Goyle, I don't know much about them – "

"We do," said Harry and Ron together. I smirked at that. They certainly knew lots about them; they'd actually even been them at one point. I knew quite a bit about them as well. Especially since last year, they were still on my list of people to prank and test products on.

Angelina nodded her head before returning her attention to the parchment. "Well, they don't look bright enough to tell one end of a broom from the other," she said "but then I was always surprised Derrick and Bole managed to find their way onto the pitch without signposts." Fred laughed appreciatively at her humor while Harry assured her that Crabbe and Goyle were just as dumb.

"'It's time," Angelina finally said in a hushed voice, looking at her watch. "C'mon everyone . . . good luck."

We rose as one group, shouldering our brooms as we marched in a single file out of the changing room. Angelina led the way, followed by Katie and Alica, then Ron (who was extremely pale and looked like he was going to be sick), Harry, and finally Fred and I bringing up the rear. I hopped up on my broom and flew the lap around the pitch with Fred by my side. My eyes scanned the crowd quickly before I spotted Hermione. She was hopping up and down in one spot and waving her arms so that I could see her. I flashed her a big grin, feeling much lighter and happier.

The beginning of the game passed by in a flash. Fred and I beat the bludger away effortlessly, until we became aware of a song being sung from the stands.

_'Weasley cannot save a thing,_

_He cannot block a single ring,_

_That's why Slytherins all sing:_

_Weasley is our King._

_'Weasley was born in a bin_

_He always lets the Quaffle in_

_Weasley will make sure we win_

_Weasley is our King.' _

Oh _hell_ no. They did not just say that about my brother.

Yes, I am perfectly well aware that my brother was doing a terrible job as keeper, but that was simply because he was nervous. He was a brilliant keeper and there was no way I was letting this go by. At the moment though, there wasn't anything I could do. Fred and I beat the bludger at the Slytherin players even harder, nearly knocking a few of them off their brooms.

Harry somehow managed to catch the snitch and saved us from actually losing the game. We landed on the field with clear gratitude and I immediately made my way towards Harry to thank him for winning the game.

WHAM.

A Bludger hit Harry squarely in the small of his back and he flew forwards off his broom. Luckily he was only five or six feet above the ground, having dived so low to catch the Snitch. Fred and I ran forward to help him. I could hear Madam Hooch's shrill whistle, and an uproar in the stands compounded of catcalls, angry yells and jeering. We reached Harry and picked him up, checking him for any injuries as he held onto us to steady himself.

"Are you all right?" Angelina asked, reaching us. Harry nodded his head slowly, looking slightly sick. Rage filled me and I found my eyes scanning the sky to see who had sent it.

"It was that thug Crabbe," said Angelina angrily. "He whacked the Bludger at you the moment he saw you'd got the Snitch - but we won, Harry, we won!" Who the heck cared if we won? That git could have really hurt Harry! How was Crabbe even still in school here? He'd hurt half the people going here and couldn't pass anything!

Draco came up behind us but my ears were pounding from rage so I missed the first half of what he said, I did hear the end though.

' - we couldn't fit in useless loser either - for his father, you know - ' Fred and I both stiffened and rounded on Malfoy, fierce glares on our faces as we balled our hands into fist.

"'Leave it!' Angelina yelped, taking Fred by the arm. "Leave it, Fred, let him yell. He's just sore he lost, the jumped-up little –"

But that stupid git just kept on talking. "but you like the Weasleys, don't you, Potter?' said Malfoy, sneering. 'Spend holidays there and everything, don't you? Can't see how you stand the stink, but I suppose when you've been dragged up by Muggles, even the Weasleys' hovel smells OK –"

The blood was pounding so hard in my head that I could no longer hear anything but the rushing of it. I unconsciously raised my fist and lunged forward, my only thought that I wanted to cause Draco as much pain as possible. Harry grabbed me, holding me back with surprising strength for someone who was actually smaller than me. Yet still Malfoy kept talking. My ears were positively ringing with the blood pounding through it and my vision was turning red from the magic welling up inside of me. Draco must have said something to tick Harry off as well, because he let go of me and we both lunged at Malfoy.

"Harry! HARRY! GEORGE! NO!" I could hear girls screaming, but I didn't care. Every bit of me was focused on the single task of beating Malfoy to a pulp.

A spell hit me in the back and sent me flying away to land on the hard ground in a heap of robes and limbs.

"What do you think you're doing?" screamed Madam Hooch. I stood up slowly, glowering at everyone I could see. Malfoy was curled up on the ground, whimpering and moaning, his nose bloody. It gave me a distinct feeling of satisfaction to see him in obvious pain. "I've never seen behavior like it - back up to the castle, both of you, and straight to your Head of House's office! Go! Now.''

-o-O-o-

Could some one please, please, get me some Felix Felicis? I need some new, better luck. As if this year, with Umbridge and her deranged, evil, detentions, her lame class, and the guys constantly hitting on my girl, were not bad enough, I have now been given a lifelong ban from Quidditch.

The walk back to the Common Room with Harry was one of the longest of my life. I could barely make my feet go. A lifelong ban, a _lifelong_ ban. Sure, Umbridge would only be here for a year so it would probably be lifted by next year, but this was Fred's and my last year to play.

That complete bitch had even banned Fred! He hadn't done anything and he'd been banned because of me.

"Flibbitgibit." Harry said, his voice hollow. The portrait hole swung open and we both stepped through, our body language reading defeat. I couldn't even think about the fact that we had actually won the game, I was too heartbroken. My one favorite past time I was banned from. She'd even locked my poor broom up.

Fred hopped up from the couch he'd been sitting on with Lee and Angelina and stepped towards me, his eyes instantly shooting to my hand. I shook my head and took a deep breath."We've just been given a lifetime ban from quidditch by Umbridge," I said, my voice emotionless. "She banned you as well." Fred sunk to the couch in horror, his eyes wide with shock and his face contorted in pain. I felt like jumping off the astronomy tower, I had taken my twin's favorite sport from him.

"Banned," Angelina said in a hollow voice."Banned. No Seeker and no Beaters . . . what on Earth are we going to do?" I sank onto the couch next to Fred and buried my head in my hands, fighting the headache that was coming on. I felt someone slip into the seat next to me and place a light hand on my arm. I looked over and saw it was Hermione. I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her to my chest in a hug, seeking solace from her. She held me tightly, letting me just hold her despite the number of people still in the room.

"A lifetime ban.." Lee muttered darkly. "Can she actually enforce that?"

I shrugged, I couldn't even bring myself to answer him.

"Its just so unfair," Alicia finally said, numbly. "I mean, what about Crabbe and that Bludger he hit after the whistle had been blown? Has she banned him?" Anger flared up inside me and I shot a glare at the door, thinking I'd like to hex those two Neanderthals. I would find them and make sure that they wouldn't be able to fly for a very, very long time.

"No," Ginny answered miserably; she was sitting beside Harry. "He just got lines. I heard Montague laughing about it at dinner."

"And banning Fred when he didn't even do anything!" said Angelina furiously, pummeling her knee with her fist. I sighed and just held Hermione a little tighter. She moved around so she was sitting on my lap, her small arms wrapped around me in a incredibly comforting way.

"It's not my fault I didn't," Fred replied to Alicia with a very ugly look on his face. "I would've pounded the little scumbag to a pulp if you three hadn't been holding me back."

"I'm going to bed," Angelina finally said, getting slowly to her feet. "Maybe this will all turn out to have been a bad dream . . . maybe I'll wake up tomorrow and find we haven't played yet . . ." Fred watched her go with a glum expression before turning back to us. Harry still looked just as shell shocked as before, as if he couldn't really believe what had happened. The three of us were probably the three on the team who actually enjoyed the flying aspect of it the most, and now it had been taken away from us all.

"She's posted another decree." I said after a moment, realizing this was actually a really big deal. I'd been so angry earlier I hadn't even thought about it. Harry's head shot up and his eyes widened in horror as he remembered.

"What?" Hermione asked, noting the terror on Harry's face.

"Another one?" Lee questioned, looking away from the fire.

"Educational Decree Number Twenty-five the High Inquisitor will henceforth have supreme authority over all punishments, sanctions and removal of privileges pertaining to the students of Hogwarts, and the power to alter such punishments, sanctions and removals of privileges as may have been ordered by other staff members. "

"Oh my god." Hermione gasped, a look much like Harry's filling her face.

"Bloody Hell." Ginny muttered, Fred and Lee looked too upset to even say anything.

Bloody Hell pretty much described how this year was going. Thank Godric it was already November, we only had a little longer before holidays.

-o-O-o-

Ok," Harry called out. "I thought this evening we should just go over the things we've done so far, because it's the last meeting before the holidays and there's no point in starting anything new right before a three-week break-" He was cut short by the least liked member of the DA, Zacharias Smith. Fred and I had prepared a special Christmas present for him. We'd had Dobby sneak it into his trunk. When he went to pack up to return home, he'd be in for a hell of a surprise.

"We're not doing anything new?" he said in a disgruntled whisper. "If I'd known that, I wouldn't have come." I glared at the back of his head, thinking of several hexes I'd like to try on him.

"We're all really sorry Harry didn't tell you then," Fred said really loudly. I snorted, grinning even wider when Hermione almost laughed. Zacharias blushed and lowered his eyes, shifting uncomfortably in his seat.

"We can practice in pairs," Harry said, continuing like nothing had happened. "We'll start with the impediment jinx for ten minutes, then we can get out the cushions and try stunning again." We all stood up and divided up in to our usual pairs.

"Hermione?" I froze at the sound of the voice, turning slowly to see Terry coming up behind me to talk to Hermione.

"What?" I hissed, instantly on guard. That git was after my girl.

"I was wondering if you were doing anything after the meeting." He said, ignoring me. Hermione's eyes grew wide.

"Yes, I am." She said after a moment, taking a step backwards and moving closer to me. I wrapped my arm around her shoulders and held her tight. "George and I have plans." That wasn't true, I had no plans, but she was being kind enough to make it look that way. She was actually making it clear she was with me.

"Oh," He said, his eyes widening in surprise. "I didn't realize. Well, maybe I can catch you later." He finished, stepping back. He gave her one last smile and then turned around. What did he mean, 'catch you later'?

Why couldn't guys just leave her alone? They hadn't taken any notice of her for four years, and then I ask her out and suddenly every guy in Hogwarts seems to want to go out with her.

"Expelliarmus!" Hermione exclaimed, smiling unsurely at me when my wand flew out of my hand. "You're distracted." She whispered, handing my wand back to me.

"Nah, just thinking. You won't get me so easily again."

She didn't.

* * *

><p><em>AN: Hey guys, hope this chapter doesn't disapoint! Leave a review and let me know your thoughts or if there is anything you want to see._


	36. Chapter 36

"Fred! Wake up!" A shrill voice sounded in my ear and I sighed before rolling over.

"I'm George." I mumbled into my pillow, nestling into it.

"George, get the hell up, it's dad." That was Fred. The tone of his voice woke me up, making me feel as though something was very, very wrong.

"Dad?" I questioned, climbing off the bed and pulling on my night robe. McGonagall was standing beside my twin, and Lee, all three of them were extremely pale. I felt a rush of panic and fear from Fred, making my stomach turn.

"He's been attacked." McGonagall said shortly as I got up.

"She just came in." Lee explained as Fred grew even paler. McGonagall gave a curt nod when I was dressed before turning around and heading outside the dorm. Fred and I shot each other one glance and then ran after her, both our hearts pounding.

"McGonagall!" I called, taking the steps two at a time. We reached the common room and my heart sunk even more as I saw Ginny standing there. We stepped up next to her and wrapped our arms around her protectively.

"Follow me. Mr. Lee, I'm afraid you'll have to wait here." McGonagall snapped before stepping forward and heading outside of the common room. I turned to Lee, talking as quickly as I could.

"We'll Owl you when we figure out what's happened." I said, and then ran after her, all of us racing to keep up with her. She led us to Dumbledore's office quickly, and called the password out before we even reached the statue.

We ran up the steps, and threw the study door open, stepping up next to her and scanning the room quickly. Ron and Harry were already here, and both looked about to faint.

"Harry - what's going on?" Ginny asked, regaining her voice first. "Professor McGonagall says you saw Dad get hurt – "

"Your father has been injured in the course of his work for the Order of the Phoenix" Dumbledore said quickly. "He has been taken to St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. I am sending you back to Sirius's house, which is much more convenient for the hospital than The Burrow. You will meet your mother there."

"How're we going?" Fred asked, he looked ready to faint. "Floo powder?"

"No, Floo powder is not safe at the moment, the Network is being watched. You will be taking a Portkey." He indicated an old kettle lying on his desk. "We are just waiting for Phineas Nigellus to report back . . . I want to be sure that the coast is clear before sending you – "

There was a flash of flame in the very middle of the office, leaving behind a single golden feather that floated gently to the floor. It silenced everyone in the room, and I felt like it was a heavy omen.

"It is Fawkes's warning," Dumbledore said, catching the feather as it fell. "Professor Umbridge must know you're out of your beds . . . Minerva, go and head her off - tell her any story – "

McGonagall gave her head a stiff nod and walked away.

"He says he'll be delighted, My great-great-grandson has always had an odd taste in house-guests."

"Come here, then," Dumbledore said, beckoning us forward. "And quickly, before anyone else joins us."

"You have all used a Portkey before?" Dumbledore asked, and we nodded, each reaching out to touch some part of the blackened kettle. "Good. On the count of three, then . . . one . . . two . . .Three"

I felt a powerful jerk behind my navel, the ground vanished from beneath my feet, my hand were glued to the kettle; I was banging into the others as we all sped forwards in a swirl of colors and a rush of wind, the kettle pulling me onwards . . . until I hit the ground so hard that my knees buckled, the kettle clattered to the ground, and somewhere close at hand a voice said:

"Back again, the blood-traitor brats. Is it true their father's dying?"

"OUT!" roared a second voice before we could say anything. I stayed on the floor, the room rushing around me as my blood pounded in my head. I clenched my fist and forced myself to take a breath past the panic that was trying to rise within me. Fred and I were the oldest ones here-we had to be strong for Ron, Harry, and Ginny. We had to keep it together. All I wanted to do was cry my eyes out and find mum, but I'd keep it together.

"What's going on?" Sirius asked, holding his hand out to Ginny. "Phineas Nigellus said Arthur's been badly injured – "

"Ask Harry," Fred said in accusing tone. I looked up with my still pounding head and focused on Harry who looked worse than I had ever seen him.

"Yeah, I'd like to hear what happened." I said, pushing myself up.

"It was –" Harry began, "I had a - a kind of- vision . . ."

Harry told us what he had seen, and how he had gone to Voldemort. We listened the entire time, never questioning or interrupting him.

"Is Mum here?" Fred asked once he finished, turning to Sirius. He was still trying to decide how to take what Harry had said.

"She probably doesn't even know what's happened yet, the important thing was to get you away before Umbridge could interfere. I expect Dumbledore's letting Molly know now."

"We've got to go to St Mungos", said Ginny urgently, "Sirius, can you lend us cloaks or anything?"

"Hang on, you can't go tearing off to St Mungo's!' said Sirius. My eyes shot up and a fierce frown claimed my lips. That was my dad, let him try and stop me.

"Course we can go to St Mungo's if we want," Fred said, voicing my thoughts. "He's our dad!"

"And how are you going to explain how you knew Arthur was attacked before the hospital even let his wife know?"

I hate when people use logic on me. "What does it matter?" I asked hotly, feeling angry and worried. I was taking it out on Sirius, but I couldn't stop myself.

"It matters because we don't want to draw attention to the fact that Harry is having visions of things that are happening hundreds of miles away!" Sirius snapped. "Have you any idea what the Ministry would make of that information?"

Who the bloody hell cared what the ministry made of anything? "Somebody else could have told us . . . we could have heard it somewhere other than Harry." Ginny said hopefully, tears streaming down her brown eyes. That made me even more upset.

"Like who?" Sirius questioned impatiently. "Listen, your dad's been hurt while on duty for the Order and the circumstances are fishy enough without his children knowing about it seconds after it happened, you could seriously damage the Order's – "

"We don't care about the dumb Order!" Fred shouted, finally snapping. I was with him. How could Sirius even think of mentioning the Order when our dad could be dying?

"It's our dad dying we care about!"

"Your father knew what he was getting into and he won't thank you for messing things up for the Order! This is how it is - this is why you're not in the Order - you don't understand - there are things worth dying for!"

"Easy for you to say, stuck here!" bellowed Fred. "I don't see you risking your neck!"

The little color remaining in Sirius's face drained from it. I thought he was going to hit Fred for a moment. I agreed, Fred had taken it a little far, but Sirius didn't seem to understand that we were dying for some information.

"I know it's hard, but we've all got to act as though we don't know anything yet. We've got to stay put, at least until we hear from your mother, all right?"

Ginny took a few steps over to the nearest chair and sank into it. Harry looked at Ron, who made a funny movement somewhere between a nod and a shrug, and they sat down too. Fred and I gave Sirius one last hard look and then sat down on either side of Ginny.

"That's right," Sirius said in an annoyingly encouraging voice, "come on, lets all . . . let's all have a drink while we're waiting. Accio Butterbeer!"

He raised his wand as he spoke and half a dozen bottles came flying towards us out of the pantry, skidded along the table, scattering the debris of Sirius's meal, and stopped neatly in front of us. We all drank, and for a while the only sounds were those of the crackling of the kitchen fire and the soft thud of their bottles on the table.

I was only drinking so I didn't yell more at Sirius. My stomach was tied up in a terrible knot, my eyes were burning from my held back tears, and I wanted to hit something desperately bad.

My dad was in the hospital after having been attacked by a giant snake that Harry somehow had a vision of. I was unbelievably grateful to Harry for finding him, but I couldn't show that right now with all the anger, fear, and worry coursing through me.

Clutching that butterbeer I found myself desperately missing Hermione's comforting presences. She wouldn't be coming, I'd have to wait till Hogwarts to see her again. She had to go skiing with her own mum and dad. Godric's ghost though, I really needed a hug from her.

A burst of fire in midair illuminated the dirty plates in front of us, as we gave cries of shock, a scroll of parchment fell with a thud on to the table, accompanied by a single golden phoenix tail feather.

"Fawkes!" Sirius exclaimed, snatching up the parchment. 'That's not Dumbledore s writing - it must be a message from your mother - here – "

He thrust the letter into my hands. I ripped it open quickly and read aloud with a only slightly shaky voice. "Dad is still alive. I am setting out for St Mungo's now. Stay where you are. I will send news as soon as I can. Mum."

I looked up from the table and stared at my siblings, including Harry, with a bit of shock. "Still alive..." I said slowly, "But that makes it sound . . ." I couldn't finish the sentence, it sounded like dad was barely with us.

Fred took the letter as I pulled Ginny to my side in a comforting hug. She hated breaking down in front of people, and usually would only cry if her face was hidden in someone's shirt.

That was the longest night of my life. We all sat around that table together, no one speaking save to ask for the time. I held onto Ginny, giving her what little comfort I could.

At ten past five in the morning by Ron's watch, the kitchen door swung open and mum entered the kitchen. She was extremely pale, but when we stood to give her a hug, she gave a wan smile.

"He's going to be all right," she said, her voice weak with tiredness. "He's sleeping. We can all go and see him later. Bill's sitting with him now; he's going to take the morning off work."

Fred fell back into his chair with his hands over his face. Ginny and I stood, and walked to her before giving her a firm, slightly desperate, hug.

"Breakfast!" Sirius said loudly and joyfully, jumping to his feet. "Where's that accursed house-elf? Kreacher! KREACHER!"

"Oh, forget it, then," muttered Sirius, counting the people in front of him. "So, it's breakfast for - let's see - seven . . . bacon and eggs, I think, and some tea, and toast – "

He was okay, he was going to make it.

-o-O-o-

There were only three patients in dads room. We walked into it as one big group, Fred, Ginny, and Ron were deliriously happy, but I was still feeling like I was in shock. I wasn't going to be better until I saw dad with my own eyes.

We walked into the room and I instantly saw him. He was occupying the bed at the far end of the ward beside the tiny window. My heart started hammering in my chest as I scanned him hurriedly. He looked alright, a few scratches on his face, and a heavily bandaged arm, but I couldn't see anything that looked life threatening. He smiled when he saw us, and I could feel tears building in my eyes again. I pushed them away roughly and stepped towards the bed with the others.

"Hello!" Dad called, tossing his Prophet aside. "Bill just left, Molly, had to get back to work, but he says he'll drop in on you later."

"How are you, Arthur?" Mum asked, stepping nearer him and pressing a kiss to his cheek. "You're still looking a bit peaky."

"I feel absolutely fine, if they could only take the bandages off, I'd be fit to go home."

"Why can't they take them off, Dad?" Fred asked quickly, sitting in a chair next to him. I stepped behind him and placed my hands on the back of it. I needed to feel something solid beneath my hands-I was still feeling shaky.

"Well, I start bleeding like mad every time they try. It seems there was some rather unusual kind of poison in that snakes fangs that keeps wounds open. They're sure they'll find an antidote, though; they say they've had much worse cases than mine, and in the meantime I just have to keep taking a Blood-Replenishing Potion every hour. But that fellow over there," he said, dropping his voice and nodding towards the bed opposite in which a man lay looking green and sickly and staring at the ceiling. "Bitten by a werewolf, poor chap. No cure at all."

"A werewolf?' mum whispered, looking alarmed. "Is he safe in a public ward? Shouldn't he be in a private room?"

"It's two weeks till full moon," dad reminded her quietly. "They've been talking to him this morning, the Healers, you know, trying to persuade him he'll be able to lead an almost normal life. I said to him - didn't mention names, of course - but I said I knew a werewolf personally, very nice man, who finds the condition quite easy to manage."

"What did he say?" I asked, giving the man a sympathetic glance. I couldn't imagine having to live with that. I'd have probably told dad to bugger off.

"Said he'd give me another bite if I didn't shut up, and that woman over there," he indicated the only other occupied bed, which was right beside the door, 'won't tell the Healers what bit her, which makes us all think it must have been something she was handling illegally. Whatever it was took a real chunk out of her leg, very nasty smell when they take off the dressings." That made me think of Hagrid. He'd probably have something like that happen to him.

"So, you going to tell us what happened, Dad?"

"Well, you already know, don't you?" dad said, with a significant smile at Harry. "It's very simple - I'd had a very long day, dozed off, got sneaked up on and bitten."

"Is it in the Prophet, you being attacked?" Fred asked, pointing to the paper.

"No, of course not, the Ministry wouldn't want everyone to know a dirty great serpent got – "

"Arthur!" Mum snapped, stopping him short.

" Got-er-me." He finished lamely.

"So where were you when it happened, Dad?" I asked quietly. He never could lie very well, I was hoping he'd just slip up.

"That's my business. I was just reading about Willy Widdershins's arrest when you arrived. You know Willy turned out to be behind those regurgitating toilets back in the summer? One of his jinxes backfired, the toilet exploded and they found him lying unconscious in the wreckage covered from head to foot in – "

"When you say you were "on duty" Fred interrupted, not even slightly deterred. "what were you doing?"

"You heard your father," whispered Mum fiercely. "we are not discussing this here! Go on about Willy Widdershins, Arthur."

"Well, don't ask me how, but he actually got off the toilet charge, I can only suppose gold changed hands – "

"You were guarding it, weren't you?" I said quietly, holding his eyes with mine. We had a right to know what happened. It almost cost our dad his life. "The weapon? The thing You-Know-Who's after?"

"George, be quiet!" Mum snapped. Of course she'd know who I was now.

"Anyway, this time Willys been caught selling biting doorknobs to Muggles and I don't think he'll be able to worm his way out of it because, according to this article, two Muggles have lost fingers and are now in St Mungo's for emergency bone re-growth and memory modification. Just think of it, Muggles in St Mungo's! I wonder which ward they're in?"

"Didn't you say You-Know-Who's got a snake, Harry?" Fred questioned. "A massive one? You saw it the night he returned, didn't you?"

"That's enough," Mum snapped crossly. "Mad-Eye and Tonks are outside, Arthur, they want to come and see you. And you lot can wait outside," she added to us with a frown. "You can come and say goodbye afterwards. Go on."

We left the room and Moody and Tonks went inside, casting up a ward as they left.

"Fine," Fred said coolly, rummaging in his pockets. I grinned and reached into my own."be like that. Don't tell us anything."

"Looking for these?" I asked, holding up the extendable ears.

"You read my mind," Fred said with a big grin. "Let's see if St Mungo's puts Imperturbable Charms on its ward doors, shall we?"

I handed out five ears, one for each of us, and then stepped towards the door. I stuck the tip in my ear, and let the other end snake under the door

". . . they searched the whole area taut couldn't find the snake anywhere. It just seems to have vanished after it attacked you, Arthur . . . but You-Know-Who can't have expected a snake to get in, can he?"

"I reckon he sent it as a lookout, cause he's not had any luck so far, has he? No, I reckon he's trying to get a clearer picture of what he's facing and if Arthur hadn't been there the beast would've had a lot more time to look around. So, Potter says he saw it all happen?"

"Yes, You know, Dumbledore seems almost to have been waiting for Harry to see something like this."

"Yeah, well, there's something funny about the Potter kid, we all know that."

"Dumbledore seemed worried about Harry when I spoke to him this morning,"

"Course he's worried, The boy's seeing things from inside You-Know-Who's snake. Obviously, Potter doesn't realise what that means, but if You-Know-Who's possessing him – "

We all turned around to see Harry pulling the ear out of his own ear. His eyes were wide and he looked about ready to faint. He took a small step back, looking scared to be near us.

What was going on? No way Harry was really possessed, Ginny would have recognized the signs…

Why had he seen Dad attacked though?

-o-O-o-

"Is he still hiding upstairs?" Fred asked, stepping into the room with a heavy sigh. I nodded my head, sighing as well. Ron and Ginny didn't look up, seeming to sink deeper into the couch instead.

"This is rubbish. He can't avoid us the entire time."

"No, but he's good at wallowing." Ron muttered, glancing at the stairs resentfully. I nodded my head again, still feeling numb. I wasn't as worried about dad now, but I was still worried for him. they didn't have a cure for the venom yet, and no one would tell us what he had been doing when he was attacked in the first place. Fred and I were part of the bloody order-we shouldn't be having this problem!

I heard a door bang open and looked up. In rushed a pink cheeked, frenzied, bushy haired girl. I stood up instantly, recognizing the hair of my girl friend. I barely caught a glimpse of her face before she had her arms around me.

"Are you alright? I came as quickly as I could! Is Mr. Weasley going to be okay?" She questioned, holding me tight to her. I gripped her back, unable to answer her past the lump that had just formed in my throat. All the emotions I'd been trying to block since McGonagall woke me last night were coming rushing back. Tears filled my eyes and I fought to keep them from falling as I buried my nose in her hair, taking a deep breath and filling my nostrils with the comforting scent of apples and cinnamon-her shampoo-and a sweet, floral smell that was simply her.

"He's okay, still in Mungo's though." Ginny said, answering when it was clear I wasn't. Hermione nodded her head against my chest. She squeezed me a little tighter and then leaned back slightly so she could see me.

"Where's Harry?" She asked softly, her eyes holding mine. Her hand was drawing soothing circle's in my lower back and helping me calm down as I kept my eyes on her brown, tender ones.

"He's upstairs." I somehow managed to say. My voice was slightly thick, but she graciously overlooked it.

Her eyes shot upstairs before they came back to me. "Why?"

"He thinks he's being possessed by You-Know-Who. Won't come down or let us come in to tell him otherwise either." I answered, knowing she was about to leave me and feeling an intense wave of jealousy towards Harry.

"He's what?" Hermione asked, in surprise, dropping her arms from me. I let go of her as well, fighting a sigh.

"He's in Buckbeaks room and won't come back. Done convinced himself that he's been possessed." Her mouth dropped open and she took a step towards the stairs before stopping and turning towards Ron and Ginny.

"Come on you two, I'll meet you with Harry in his room." She ordered, and then raced upstairs.

And that is why I'm jealous of Harry James Potter, because he will always have Hermione's loyalty first. She'll always choose him.


	37. Chapter 37

"You alright, mate?" Fred asked, sitting down next to me. I was sitting with my back to our bed, a notebook and quill in my hand as I finished up the formula for our love potion. It was an idea of Fred's, inspired by Katie Bell oddly enough.

"I'm fine." I said, glancing at him with a small frown.

"No, you're not." He said, calling my bluff with annoying frankness. "You've been moping in here all night because Hermione hasn't left Harry's side." He placed a hand on my back, looking me in the eyes with clear worry. "You wanna talk about it?"

I sighed and set my book aside, stretching my legs out stiffly. "Not really, I'm just feeling a bit down with everything going on." I turned my head towards him before facing forward again. "It's nothing to do with Hermione." I hadn't seen her for more than five minutes since she'd arrived a day and a half ago.

Fred gave me a look that let me know he wasn't buying it at all. I ignored it and handed him my notes for the potion. "Reckon we could start on this after Christmas? We should be able to get all the ingredients for it together by then."

He took the list and scanned it quickly before nodding he head. "Yeah, that seems doable. Only thing is finding the time. We have another week of detentions when we return."

"Bugger, I forgot about that." I said darkly, flexing my fingers and trying to push away the painful tingling that had risen up in my hand.

"Yeah, can't really blame you for forgetting… I do have some good news though."

"What?" I asked a little too eagerly. I needed some good news.

"Christmas is tomorrow." My eyes widened and a huge grin lifted my lips. I had completely forgotten about Christmas with everything that was going on!

"Are we still planning on spiking the punch?" I asked with a grin. We'd come up with a few products that could be a lot of fun. It had the bonus of no one really suspecting it. They all thought mum had destroyed all our products.

"Of course, I'm thinking we should also leave the lying lozenges out and see if anyone goes for them. I'm thinking we could probably get Remus-he's been suffering from a sore throat." Fred said excitedly, his eyes lighting up with mischief. I nodded my head eagerly. A bit of pranking would perk me up quite a bit. Plus, I could work on the love potion on our last few days of holiday.

"Feeling better now?" Fred asked with a grin that let me know he was feeling proud of himself.

"Yes." I said in a mock grumpy voice. I shoved him playfully before running out of the room. I'd been here most of the day, so I was pretty hungry. I made my way to the kitchen, avoiding Kreacher in the hall, and almost let out a gasp when I saw who was already in the kitchen, making herself a late night snack.

"Hermione." I said, trying not to sound too excited or accusing. Strange mix of emotions, but it's what I felt. She looked up in surprise at hearing my voice, and a huge grin promptly erupted across her face.

"George!" She exclaimed, setting her sandwich aside and stepping towards me. She wrapped her arms around me in a tight hug, throwing me for a loop. It felt wonderful to have her in my arms, but I was still a little upset that she hadn't wanted to spend any time with me. She hadn't been available to see me, I wasn't sure I wanted to be available to see her.

I know it was petty.

She noticed I wasn't really responding to her hug and she dropped her arms, stepping back and looking at me with a frown. "Is everything okay, George."

"Yeah." I said smiling, but it didn't reach my eyes and she knew it. she took a step back and hopped up on the counter, beckoning me closer. I stepped towards her, but she beckoned me closer still. I sighed and stepped right next to her, standing in between her open legs and right up against the counter. I sat my hands on her legs and she placed her arms on my neck.

"Talk to me, please." She said quietly, her voice heavy with concern. "It was something I did, isn't it?" I gave a half shrug, feeling guilty for being so upset about her spending her time with Harry.

"That's not good enough, George. I need you to actually use words. I'm as rubbish at mind reading as you are." She said, her voice gentle but commanding.

"I'm just feeling a little stressed." I admitted, deciding to confess the way I was feeling in a different way.

"I'm sorry, is there any way I can make it better?"

"You could spend some time with me." I said without thinking. She furrowed her brow and looked confused before her eyes lit up with realization.

"Oh George, I'm sorry. I have been spending rather a lot of time with Harry, haven't I?"

"Yeah." I said, my tone darker than I wanted it.

"Well he is my best mate." She said, sounding slightly defensive. "I don't get onto you for spending time with Fred."

"No, you don't." I said, withdrawing my hands from her. I made to step away but she tightened her grip on my neck.

"I didn't mean to scold you." she said, her voice growing slightly sadder. "I know you've never gotten angry at all the time I spend with Harry. I don't know why I said that."

"Probably because I'm not the only stressed one." I said, my voice wry. She offered me a faint smile at that.

"Yes, Umbridge is rather good at seeing to that, isn't she?"

"Yes, she's brilliant at it." I mused, leaning closer to her and placing my hands on her knees again.

"Can you think of any way we could relieve some of it? The stress, I mean." She said softly, moving closer to the edge of the counter so she was barely pressing into me.

"I can think of a few." I murmured, my lips hovering above hers. Her eyes fluttered close and she leaned up so that her lips were barely touching mine as she replied.

"As can I." She pressed the kiss to my lips and tightened her hands around my neck, pressing my face into hers. I deepened the kiss eagerly, bringing my hands up her legs and wrapping my arms around her waist, tugging her hips closer to mine. I let my other hand trail up her body and come to rest on her cheek, burying it in her soft, bushy hair. She moaned into my mouth and pressed her body closer to mine, causing me to press myself back into her.

"In the kitchen? Really?" We sprang apart, Hermione blushing, me glaring, at the new intruder.

"Sirius." I said, not hiding the cold tone in my voice. It was past eleven, why was he down here?

"George, Hermione." Sirius said, appearing highly amused. "Did I interrupt anything?"

"Yes," I said blandly, frowning as Hermione nudged me to move so she could get off the counter. I grudgingly obliged as I shot Sirius another glare. "I had a good thing going here before you arrived!"

"George!" Hermione said in a horrified squeak.

"Don't get mad at him." Sirius said with a barking laugh. "He's right, I did interrupt you. "Sorry, I'm leaving now, just wanted to see who was down here at this hour." He turned around and headed back out, pausing before he left. "Might want to try a few wards."

"God, that was mortifying." Hermione said, stepping away from the counter and towards the stove. I looked over at her in time to see her grab a pan out from the cabinet. I leaned against the counter myself and watched her bustle around the kitchen, making herself another sandwich and me one as well, placing them on the pan so that she could toast them. She picked up the pan and bent down to place the pan in the oven, giving me an excellent view. I slumped against the counter slowly, my mind getting lost in a very vivid daydream of Hermione. She turned around after a second, straightening up and smiling at me in an innocent way that made my cheeks heat up in guilt at my daydream. She'd be mortified if she knew what I had been thinking.

"You look like you were thinking of something pleasant." She said shyly. I nodded my head, grinning again.

"Very." I said in a low voice, stepping nearer to her. Her eyes widened at the tone of my voice and she took a small step towards me. I wrapped my arms around her and pressed a tender kiss to her lips. I pulled back after a moment and pressed a kiss to her newly exposed neck.

"You have no idea how bad I've been wanting to do this." I murmured against her neck.

"Well why didn't-" She gasped, arching her back into me as I pressed a kiss against her neck.

"Why didn't I what?" I murmured, pressing a kiss higher up her neck, along her jaw line.

"Hmm?" She asked, letting out a faint moan as her hands worked its way up my back.

"Lost your train of thought, have you?" I asked, grinning against her neck.

"No," she said huskily. "my thoughts are right where I want them, as are you." My eyes widened at her boldly whispered words and I pulled back, searching for her mouth again. Her hands moved up my shirt, palms pressed flat against it until she came to the buttons on my pajama shirt. Her fingers moved to them eagerly, un doing them with surprising speed. She pushed the shirt open, running her small hands up and down my chest with an almost desperate urgency that excited me like mad. She'd never taken such an initiative with me before, she usually let me take the lead.

I picked her up by the waist, gasping when she wrapped her legs around my waist tightly, and placed her on top of the counter again. I ran my hands up her body, causing her to gasp and arch into me as well, making me lightheaded at the sound and feel of her.

"You should really put a few wards up." I broke away from Hermione's lips, but continued to hold her close as I turned my head to look at my twin.

"What do you want?"

"If I said a piece of the action, would you hex me, Granger?" He asked with a playful grin. I tossed the loaf of bread at him, making him laugh all the louder.

Hermione and I were clearly not meant to have any alone time.

-o-O-o-

"So, did you do it?" Fred asked, grabbing the proffered butter beer from my hand. I nodded my head, grinning mischievously.

"Yep, you'd best stay away from the punch." I commented, taking a swig of my own butter beer. We were leaning against the back wall of Grimmaulds place living room as everyone gathered to open presents. It was dads first night back so we'd decided to open our presents together instead of alone like we usually did.

It was about to be our turn to open presents, Ginny had just finished passing them out.

"Okay, have at them!" Dad exclaimed, grinning excitedly. We grinned ourselves and reached for our presents. I started with a lumpy package wrapped in green, it was my sweater from mum. I handed it to Fred and took his own. I looked over at Hermione to see if she was opening my present yet.

She wasn't so I went to another present, one from Ron and Ginny. It was a new melting proof ladle for our cauldrons and a book on how to start a business. Really considerate gifts actually, I'd have to seriously thank them.

I got a book of pranks from Sirius and Remus, a box of Jelly slugs from Harry, and a container of treacle fudge from mum and dad. Bill got me the coolest gift though, a book on how to romance the intelligent witch.

My last present was from Hermione, and her last present was from me. I looked up to watch her open her present, and she locked eyes with me. A grin lifted my lips as she bit her lip nervously, I gave her a little nod to let her know that I wanted her to go first. She nodded her head and lowered her eyes back to her present. She carefully took the paper off of it and stared at the little box with an eager smile. She opened it carefully before looking up at me. I nodded my head again and she grinned excitedly. I smiled happily and lowered my eyes back to my own present. I tore the paper off and pulled the box out feeling giddy with excitement.

Inside was a book. I stared at in surprise, 'Hogwarts: A History.' I looked up at her, noting she was biting her lip again. She gave her head a little nod, indicating I should open it up. I did and promptly let out a gasp.

It was hallowed out with a complete mini potion kit and arithmacy set. I don't know how she managed to fit it all in there, it must have had an extension charm. This was bloody brilliant! I could take this with me wherever I went and not have to worry about Umbridge confiscating it-it just looked like any other book.

My eyes shot back up and locked on hers, a grin lifting my lips. 'Thanks' I mouthed, grinning like a nutter.

"Agh!" a yelp sounded from across the room and we both turned towards Sirius, Hermione looking worried, me looking excited. He gagged again, and then started to turn a bright purple. Green warts sprouted across the back of his hands, and his hair started to thicken.

Fred and I let out a loud, long, laugh, and Sirius shot his eyes to us in surprise.

"Did you?" He questioned as Remus crossed the room to look at him and try to set him straight.

"Maybe." Fred said, still laughing.

"Oh," Sirius said, his own eyes sparkling with mischief as he started to emit a blue smoke, "this means war."

Brilliant.

-o-O-o-

So, a prank war had been declared in Grimmauld place, and things had gotten crazy here on account of it. People were changing shapes, and colors regularly, and screams and squeals were being heard everywhere.

It was fantastic.

Sirius and Remus had kept their promise to get back at us, but we'd unleashed the full strength of our products as well.

Right now though, I was taking a break from the craziness going on out side and focusing on our latest product idea-love potions.

I was brewing a batch of Amortenia to test how it worked. It was almost done, and it was beginning to give off a wonderful aroma. It smelled of the air after a hard rain, honeysuckle, and a wonderful apple- cinnamon with a hint of floral that I couldn't identify.

My eyes grew wide as I inhaled another lungful of the wonderful smelling stuff, and I turned towards the door feeling slightly panicked.

"FRED!" I called, taking another lungful. I knew that scent, that wonderful, intoxicating, fulfilling scent.

"Yes?" Fred called, sliding into the room with wide, worried eyes. "What is it? Are you okay?"

"This smells like Hermione!" I exclaimed, my eyes wide with shock. "This smells like Hermione and her shampoo. Why would it smell like that?"

Fred's eyes widened and then they went back to normal size as he took a breath and wiped his brow. "Are you kidding me?" He asked, sitting next to me with a look he only gave me when I'd done something extremely stupid. "That was what you were screaming about?"

"This potion smells like Hermione! How would it smell like her?" I asked, still stuck on that fact. My mind was racing to remember what this had smelled like at the start of last year. Snape had made us brew a batch. It had smelled the same, I was sure of it.

How hadn't I noticed it before? And what did it mean?

"You are kidding, right?" Fred asked, still giving me that look. I shook my head, feeling slightly better when I saw him take in a deep lungful of the potion and give a faint, dreamy smile.

"No."

"You'll figure it out. You're brewing a love potion and you smell your girl's scent. Strange, huh.?" He said with a wry grin, taking in another lungful. I couldn't blame him, the stuff was almost addicting to smell.

"Don't worry about it, Georgie. It's nothing bad." He said, leaning back and grabbing the ledger. "You know, the first thing we need to do is fix the scent. If it smells like what attracts you then it'll be a dead giveaway. Odorless would be the best." He mused, tapping the quill to his chin thoughtfully.

"Yeah, maybe make it colorless as well. We want it to blend into whatever they want it to." I said, pushing the panicky thoughts out of my head.

"Yeah, also should make sure we know the antidote." Fred said, paling slightly. I nodded my head.

"That would not be cool." Fred nodded his head absentmindedly, picking up a goblet and drinking from it. I didn't pay any attention to it for a moment, and then my eyes shot up from my ledger in horror.

"Fred, tell me you didn't drink out of the gold goblet." I said, staring straight ahead in horror.

"Yeah, why, Georgie?" Fred asked, his voice growing slightly panicky. I turned towards him, growing pale as I looked at him. I blinked once and then started to move. I picked up the goblet and looked at what was left of it, it was Amortenia. He'd drunk the potion!

Why had I poured it in that goblet to test it? Why hadn't I labeled it?

"What did I drink?" He yelped, grabbing at his throat in panic.

"Umm, don't panic, it's okay." I said, holding up my hands as my mind started to race.

"I don't think-" He started, and then he slumped against me, turning greener.

"Fred?" I yelped, holding him up and studying his face. He had passed out on me.

"HERMIONE!" I yelled, out in the hall. I needed her brains incase something had gone wrong, I couldn't risk Fred for even a minute. I gave him a gentle shake, and then stood up, placing him on the bed.

He gave a little shudder, and then opened his eyes, scanning the room before focusing his eyes on me.

"George?" He questioned, a small smile lifting his lips. It wasn't his usual grin though, it was a smooth, flirtatious smile I'd seen more often than not, but always directed towards a bird, not me.

"Fred?" I asked back, feeling slightly scared and worried, but mostly relieved that he was awake. I could hear a gentle padding of feet coming down the hall that I knew was Hermione's run.

"Are you lost?" Fred asked quietly, still giving me a flirtatious smile. I shook my head, now really worried. Had I brewed the potion wrong?

"Because heavens a long way from here." He said, grinning even wider. My eyes widened and I straightened up, my mouth dropping open.

Oh god.

"Do you know who I am?" I asked, praying that he was just confused. He nodded his head, slowly sitting up in a suggestive manner that made me beyond uncomfortable.

"I could never not know you, George." He said, scanning me with his eyes.

Oh god, what had I done?

I stood up and stepped away from the bed, my mind going through what had just happened at an annoyingly slow pace. My twin had ingested a love potion that I had brewed, he was now flirting with me… how do you fix this? Had I even made the potion right? What if he got hurt from it?

Oh god summed that up pretty well.

"You have incredible eyes." Fred said, suddenly standing right in front of me. My eyes widened and I took another step back, putting a little space between us. I needed to think, not have Fred flirting with me.

"I-what?" I asked, not really paying attention.

"You're eyes, they're a brilliant blue." He said sincerely, stepping closer to me and staring at me intently. He didn't look dreamy like most love potion victims, he looked quite sane. It was making me even more unnerved.

This was really funny though, a small part of my mind kept saying. I shook it away and took another step back, cringing when I felt the wall. "I could spend forever looking at them." He continued, closing the space between us so that his shoes were touching mine. He placed both his hands against the wall, blocking me with his body.

"Freddie." I said weakly, trying to press back into the wall. I was in deep, deep , trouble. "Do you think you could give me a little space?"

"Why? This making you uncomfortable?" He asked, whispering the words in my ear.

"George?" Hermione's voice questioned, I turned my head and felt a huge grin lift my lips when I saw her.

"Your lips are soft as well." Fred said quietly, looking down at my mouth and licking his own lips. Now would have been the time to hit him or hex him, but I couldn't I could not hurt him, I wasn't physically capable of doing it.

"Love, help!" I yelped, glancing at Hermione out of the corner of my eyes. Her eyes shot to the potion and then a faint look of surprised went across her face before turning to amusement. Her eyes found mine again after a moment and she stepped up behind Fred as he closed his eyes and leaned towards me. I pressed my head back, preparing to duck down, and watched what Hermione did. She went straight for his sides, and started to tickle him with her lithe fingers.

Fred's eyes grew wide and he promptly doubled in on himself, stopping his advance towards kissing me as he let out a string of loud laughs. I took his moment of distraction to run out from behind Fred to the other side of the room.

Hermione let Fred go and came to stand by me, grasping my hand loosely as she looked at Fred who was trying to regain his breath. "Mind my asking what exactly happened in here?" she asked without removing her eyes from Fred.

"Umm, he swallowed the potion on accident and wants to kiss me. I think you pretty much saw the gist of it."

"Do you two ever have a normal day?" She questioned as Fred slowly straightened up. He turned towards me, his eyes once again piercing mine as he looked at me with his flirtatious smile.

"Tell me you know the antidote." I said out of the corner of my mouth, maneuvering us so that we could get out of the door quickly.

"Yes, but it'll take a while to brew." She whispered back to me, her eyes widening as Fred shot her a pointed glare. I promptly dropped her hand, not wanting Fred to do anything he'd regret, or that could potentially harm my girl.

"You know, there's an awful big bed behind you, why don't we see how sturdy it is." My eyes widened and I let out a laugh without thinking. That was the worst line, made even funnier at his seriousness.

"I know," I said through my laugh, not really able to see him because I was laughing so hard. "I intended to check it out with Hermione later." I finished giving her a wink. She blushed to the roots of her hair.

"We can do a threesome." Fred said unabashed. I paused and looked at him feeling worried again.

"No thank you." Hermione said, blushing even brighter. "How about I help you get ready to go out with George tonight?" She continued, stepping forward with a brilliant smile that would have made most anyone trust her. "I have a special cologne guaranteed to seduce whoever you're interested in." She added. Fred eyed her for a moment, and then nodded his head slowly.

"All right."

"Follow me then." She said lightly turning around on the spot and exiting the room. Fred followed her out. I waited for a moment, and then I left as well.

"George!" I heard Hermione squeak, I ran into her room to see her holding a heavily sleeping Fred in a desperate attempt not to let him fall. I moved to her side and grasped Fred around his chest, pulling him upright before picking him up fireman style.

"Lay him on the bed, please." She said with an amused smile. I nodded my head and placed him down carefully.

"He'll be okay, right?" I questioned as I pulled the blanket up around his sleeping form. Hermione nodded her head as I sat next to him.

"Yeah, we did pretty much the same thing when you were under the potions spell. It'll wear off pretty soon." She sat down on my other side and wrapped her arm around mine loosely, leaning her head against my shoulder with a satisfied smile. I looked at her with a small, fond smile and began to realize just what the scent might have meant…

I pushed the thoughts away and decided to ask her a question. "Have you gotten a chance to try your present yet?" She nodded her head, a grin lifting her soft lips.

"Yes, Patented Day Dream Charms? Very brilliant." She said, pulling away from me slightly so she could see me. "The strawberry flavor was a wonderful idea as well."

"I thought you'd like that." I said cheerfully. I grinned mischievously, remembering what she had said earlier. "Do you really have a cologne guaranteed seduce whoever you're interested in?"

She blushed again, making me laugh happily

* * *

><p><em>Hi guys, I didn't get many reviews for my last chapter, so I'm curious as to whether or not you dislike it. If that was the case, would you mind letting me know what you disliked? Also, George wasn't romantically jealous of Harry, just at how much time Hermione spends with him, how important he is to her. He knows she's not romantically interested in her, but he can't help it.<em>

_I couldn't resist Fred drinking the potion, it was too good to pass up. Plus, it so would have happened with all the love potion experiments they'd of had to do._

_I hope you like this chapter :D Please leave a review._


	38. Chapter 38

Clad in more winter wear than I knew I had, I made my way down Grimmauld place and towards the front walk with the rest of the group, Fred, Ginny, Ron, Hermione, and Harry. Tonks and Lupin were escorting us to Hogwarts, and we were going to travel by the Knight Bus.

"Come on, the quicker we get on the bus the better," Tonks said, glancing around nervously as Lupin flung out his right arm.

BANG.

Stan stepped out and began to recite his lines. "Welcome to the – "

"Yes, yes, we know, thank you," Tonks said, cutting him off. "On, on, get on – " she shoved Harry forward and Stan looked at him with wide eyes.

"Ere - it's 'Arry - '!"

"If you shout his name I will curse you into oblivion," muttered Tonks menacingly, now shunting Ginny and Hermione forwards.

"I've always wanted to go on this thing," Ron said happily, joining Harry on board and looking around.

"Looks like we'll have to split up," Tonk said briskly, looking around for empty chairs. "Fred, George and Ginny, if you just take those seats at the back . . . Remus can stay with you." I nodded my head and cast one last worried look at the other three before settling down at the back of the bus with Remus who looked tired as usual. It was only a few more days until the full moon. I wonder if Snape was still brewing him his potion…

Maybe we should consider selling that at our store. Depending on how complex it was, we could carry it for werewolves so that they would have a good place to get it.

The bus took off with a loud bang, causing Ginny to let out a squeak of surprise as she was flung backwards. Fred and I tightened our grip on her arms so that she wouldn't fall.

"My god," She muttered as we rounded another corner and she was slammed into me. "People have to pay to ride this thing? I'd much rather fly."

"What-" Fred started with a grin.

"You mean to say," I continued.

"That you don't like being slung-"

"Banged-"

"Bruised-"

"Flung-"

"Tossed-"

"Beaten-"

"and tousled every turn?" Fred finished. Ginny shook her head, closing her eyes and crossing her arms against her stomach as if she was sick. Remus just gave us an amused smile and clutched the candle stand he was holding onto a little tighter.

We arrived a few minutes later, and Remus escorted us off, followed by Ron, Hermione, Harry and Tonks.

"You'll be safe once you're in the grounds," Tonks said, casting a careful eye around at the deserted road. "Have a good term, OK?"

"Look after yourselves," Remus said, shaking our hands. They re-boarded the Knight bus and we started down the slope towards Hogwarts, dragging our trunks. We drug them a couple of feet and then Fred and I charmed them all so they'd be lightweight, making the whole thing much easier.

As we made our way down the path I looked back at where the bus had been one last time, and couldn't help but wish that I hadn't had to leave.

"Well," Fred said, pushing the gate to Hogwarts open. "We're back."

Home sweet home.

Quick update on the horror of Hogwarts. Umbridge has installed several more educational decree's, each one lessening our freedom even more. There are now fifty of the nasty little bludgers. (There were only 25 before we left…)

I settled down at the long table next to Fred, with Hermione on my other side. It was the first full day back, and I was in a dark mood. My hand was killing me, and the promise of many more detentions had been made last night. Crazy old bat had even changed the message. We were now writing 'I will act my age' instead of 'I must not cause trouble' so we now had two scars on our hands. Joy. On the positive side, Lee had figured out how to fix our last problem with the pimple remover, his face was now spotless.

The Prophet came for Hermione right after we started eating and she opened it, glancing at it as she ate. She got to the second page and her mouth dropped open in horror.

"What?" I asked at the same time as Harry and Ron.

She laid the newspaper in front of me, moving a bowl of eggs to do so, and pointed at the front cover. I read the bold headline, and realized why she'd looked so horrified. Ten more death eaters had just joined Voldmort. No one in the rest of the hall seemed to care about this horrible news besides the head table. It was just the five of us who even seemed to notice. Did no one else read the news?

"Black?" Harry asked loudly. Hermione shushed him frantically, looking around the table to see that no one was listening.

Ron gave Harry a pointed look before speaking. "There you are Harry, that's why he was happy last night." What? Hermione's eyes narrowed and she looked furious.

"I don't believe this!" Harry snarled, not giving me a chance to get onto him for not telling us. "Fudge is blaming the breakout on Sirius?"

"Of course he is," I said bitterly, glaring at the newspaper. I didn't need anymore bad news, I pretty much had all I could take of it all ready. "He can't exactly say, 'Sorry, looks like Dumbledore and Harry were right when they warned me that You-Know-Who was back and now the Dementors have joined him.'"

"Exactly," Hermione said, giving me a look to let me know she was happy I had come to the same conclusion as her. "He's spent a good six months telling everyone you're crazy liars." She snatched the paper back up and began to read it frantically as we all waited for her to sum up her finds.

"Oh my…" She said, and her mouth once again dropped open.

"What is it?" I asked immediately, unable to help the wary look I was giving to the paper.

"It's… horrible," She said, laying paper down again. I read it quickly, feeling sick as I realized what had happened.

"We saw him," She explained, "We were at St. Mungo's and he was in the bed opposite Lockhart, just lying there. We saw the Devil's Snare arrive. The healer said it was a Christmas present."

"Why didn't we recognize Devil's Snare?" Harry whispered, "We've seen it before…we could've stopped this from happening."

"Who expects Devil's Snare to turn up in a hospital disguised as a potted plant?" Ron exclaimed sharply. Hermione looked terribly shaken up and I wrapped my arm around her, trying to bring her some comfort. I was breaking decree 75, but why should I care?

"It's not our fault," Ron continued. "Whoever sent it to the bloke is to blame! They must be a real prat. Why didn't they check what they were buying?"

"Really Ron?" Fred asked, staring at him brother like he couldn't believe they were related. "It obviously wasn't an accident. You can't touch Devil's Snare with out it trying to kill you. You can't mistake it for a potted plant." Ron looked at him without comprehension, clearly missing the point.

"It was murder Ron, a right clever one too." I explained, resisting the urge to shake my head at him.

"Yes," Hermione said, her eyes filling with tears. "They won't be able to tell who sent it if it was anonymous."

"I met Bode," Harry said suddenly. We all turned towards him with surprise. "I saw him at the ministry with your Dad." Ron's mouth fell open in shock. Hermione grabbed the paper back upand hopped up from the bench, taking her bag with her.

"Where are you going?" I called after her.

"To send a letter. It . . . well, I don't know whether . . . but it's worth trying . . . and I'm the only one who can"

I'm so glad she cleared that up.

-o-O-o-

"Okay, so we've got a hundred boxes of each of our snackboxes, we need to work on stocking up the other trick sweats." Fred said as we walked down the corridor. I nodded my head absent mindedly, feeling tense again. It seemed like I was always feeling this way.

I'm not used to stress, I'm a fairly stress free person. I don't really know how to handle it when I'm feeling it because of that. We'd been back at Hogwarts for two weeks now, and Harry had just set a date for DA. It was going to be next week, at the end of the month.

"Are you listening to me?" Fred questioned, stopping and turning towards me with a frown.

"Yeah." I said with a half shrug. "Sorry, just thinking."

"Do you not want to do the prank?" He asked, looking at me with concern. I shook my head at that.

"Of course I want to. I'll have to be on death's door before I want to stop a prank." I said with grave solemnity. He grinned at that, nodding his head.

"Then I think this is the perfect spot." I nodded my head and reached into my pocket, grabbing out a packet of darkness powder, three dungbombs, and a tricky tile (a tile that made you stick to it when you walked across it. It was designed to blend in wherever you placed it.) Normally we would have been with Lee right now, but he was in Herbology, so he at least had an alibi. With how crazy Umbridge was, he'd need it. Fred grinned wickedly at the supplies, but his grin quickly dropped as he spotted someone walking down the hall. I turned my head, relaxing when I saw it was Hermione. I'd thought it was Umbridge.

"What are you two doing?" Hermione snapped, sounding annoyed. My eyes widened and I felt myself grow annoyed as well. We weren't doing this again, were we?

"Quite frankly, my dear, it's none of your business." I said, stowing the objects back in my robe before she could see them.

She narrowed her eyes at me fiercely, looking nettled. "Actually, as a prefect, it is my business. Now tell me what you were doing."

"Or what?" Fred asked, frowning at her with me.

"I don't have time for this!" She snapped, stamping her foot. "What are you two up to?"

"Ask us no questions and we'll tell you no lies, love." I said in a singsong voice.

"Fine, I'm reporting the two of you to McGonagall." She hissed, spinning on the spot and storming back to the other end of the corridor.

"Did someone give the two of you crabby concoctions?" Fred asked, watching her go with an upraised eyebrow.

"Shut it." I snapped, jerking the objects back out of my pocket.

"Yep, definitely a crabby concoction." Fred said with a shake of his head. "Come on, let's set the prank up and get back to the common room. I'd like to spend some time working on our lov-err-fireworks, before we go to our many detentions." I nodded my head, grateful that he had decided against working on the Love potion. I knew I was being crabby, but I couldn't help it, I just felt angry.

-o-O-o-

"I'm sorry, George!" Hermione called as I headed out of the common room. I shot her a look over my shoulder, not hiding my frown. We'd been sitting in the same room (albeit opposite ends of it) for the past two hours, and she hadn't said a single word. I'd decided I wasn't apologizing this time. I'd done it first every single other time we'd fought it, but I wasn't going to this time. Fred and I had not done anything wrong when she'd given us a detention. We'd been in possession of prank objects, but she was ignorant of that fact.

Now though, I found my earlier resolve crumbling. She looked terrible, her eyes were red from crying, her face pale, her bushy hair drooping, and her shoulders hunched in defeat. I stopped walking and turned fully towards her. I slouched slightly as she drew nearer and sighed. I felt like a balloon deflating. All the anger was melting away, being replaced by an annoying depression and guilt. Once again I had hurt Hermione, not on purpose. It seemed like I kept doing that, I was beginning to hate myself for it too. I cared too much about her to keep doing it.

"Oi," I said, pulling her nearer to me in a soft hug. "I'm Sorry too, love, but I haven't got time to talk about it right now. I've got to go to a detention." I kept my voice soothing as I cradled her to my chest and stroked her hair.

Fred and I were going to Umbridge though, and then we'd swing by McGonagall afterwards to serve that detention. I really didn't have time to stop and chat but I couldn't leave Hermione sad or in tears. It tore at my heart and made each breath more painful. It was weird, but it really did. It even made my stomach ache-how my heart managed to mess with my stomach I'd never understand.

"I'll see you after our detentions, 'kay?" I asked, leaning back so I could see her face. She nodded her head, dropping her arms from around me and wiping her eyes. I turned back and caught up with Fred who had stopped by the portrait hole to wait for me.

"I never spoke with McGonagall though." Hermione said, sounding like she'd just realized that fact.

I turned halfway at that, feeling surprised and a little touched. "Really? Well, we still have to go to Umbridge anyway."

"Again?" She asked, her voice tense with worry. I nodded my head. "But you've been every other night for the last two weeks!"

"So?" I asked, continuing towards the portrait hole.

"How many have you had?" She asked, her voice going up with worry.

"Lost count, love." I said simply, stepping through the portrait hole. She followed us out, much to Fred's obvious amusement.

"Have you broken that many decrees?"

"You haven't told her?" Fred asked, sounding surprised. I gave my head a frantic little shake, but the damage was already done.

"Haven't told me what?" she asked quickly, keeping up with our longer paces easily.

"Why we keep going to Umbitch's bloody detentions." Fred said, "We haven't been that bad."

"George?" Hermione questioned, turning towards me with worried eyes. She was probably scared I was developing some weird enjoyment of pain.

"We haven't actually done what we're going to detention for." I said in a evasive tone.

"Meaning?"

"Blimey, George. It's nothing to be ashamed of, quite the opposite actually." Fred said in surprise. "We've been taking other kids detentions."

"What?" Hermione asked, her voice going up at the end.

"Yeah, we've been taking detentions for first, second, and third years." Fred explained, I kept my eyes forward, I didn't want to see her looking disapproving at me. I couldn't let those kids get the punishment Umbridge gave.

"You've what?" She asked, stopping momentarily before continuing.

"Yeah, we've been taking kids pranking detentions. Umbridge expects us anyway so it's not hard. We don't want the little guys-or girls- to get this. She isn't making age restrictions on that quill."

She didn't make a response to that, grabbing my arm instead, and twisting me around so that I was facing her. She wrapped her arms around my neck and tugged my face down, pressing her lips to mine in a quick, very heated, kiss. She pulled back after a moment and wrapped her arms around me in a tight hug. She then dropped her arms, before I had a chance to return it, and ran back towards the portrait hole, and unless I was very much mistaken, she was crying again.

"Well that wasn't quite right." Fred mused as I watched her go with a vacant expression. I turned towards him, still not quite back from her breath stealing kiss.

"Huh?"

"Why didn't she give me a kiss or a hug? I've been getting the same detention." I grinned at that, shoving him lightly before continuing on my way.

Detention wasn't looking so bad now. Especially knowing that Hermione would be waiting for me to return in the common room with two bowls of murtlap and more kisses.

* * *

><p><em>I hope you like this chapter :D Please leave a review.<em>


	39. Chapter 39

"So, today we're going to practice the impediment charm." Harry said, walking around the front of the room with more ease than he used to. "It's a basic spell, but difficult to perform due to the fact that you have to concentrate on your wand movements." He explained.

Hermione shifted on her feet, showing the first sign of life since we'd begun. Harry had been talking for at least ten minutes straight, and she'd been watching him with unwavering attention the entire time.

"Bored?" I whispered out of the corner of my mouth. Hermione started and turned towards me with a faint grin.

"Not at all, this is the first time I've heard this." She whispered back with mock innocence. I grinned at that, fighting a laugh. Harry had rehearsed his lesson with Ron, Hermione, and myself, at least five times before the meeting. Fred had been off with Angelina so he'd gotten away. Lee had walked in, but saw my frantic warnings from the couch and had left before he'd gotten caught.

"Swish, slash, flick." We whispered together in time with Harry, grinning and fighting a laugh. Harry's eyes shot to us and we put on our best solemn faces, nearly cracking when Ron looked over at us as well. Fred and Lee both pulled faces behind their backs, causing me to make strange noises in my attempt to hold my laughter in.

"If everyone's ready then," Harry said, giving us a slightly reproachful look, "we can begin." A general nod from the crowd and he stepped aside, allowing us to have at the dummies in the back of the room.

"So, do you have detention after this?" Hermione asked, throwing a blinding light at the dummy with hardly any effort.

"Nope, we're free." I said with a grin. "You doing anything?"

"No," She said with an easy smile.

"Mind hanging with me then?" I asked, grinning even more. She nodded her head eagerly, catching my hand with hers. I lifted the hand to my lips and pressed a kiss to her knuckles. She gave a pretty little blush, exciting me. It was cool knowing I still had that effect on her. I mean, we'd been dating steady for over a year, longer than I'd ever dated anyone.

The lesson flew by in a blur of flashing lights and bangs, before I knew it we were leaving in pairs.

"What are we going to do?" She asked as we left the room.

"I was actually thinking we could go back in to the Room of Requirements and see what it turned itself into."

"Sounds like fun." She said, tilting her head thoughtfully. We can head-" she stopped mid sentence because our path out had just been blocked by Terry Boot.

"Could I speak with you for a moment?" He asked, staring at Hermione expectantly. She tightened her grip on my hand. I wanted to tell the little git to bugger off but I did the opposite, knowing Hermione hated it when I spoke for her. She was extremely independent and hated it when any man tried to take that away from her. I wasn't making that mistake again anytime soon.

"Sure," I said to Terry. I turned back to Hermione who was looking at me with wide eyes, "I'll just be waiting over there Hermione." I indicated a knight statue just outside the room of requirements. I stepped over to it and watched slightly amused as Terry tugged Hermione out of the flow of traffic. He started to talk to her, making it a point that her back was to me. I watched her with a frown, and then I realized that I was being watched. Katie Bell had just stepped out of the Room of Requirements and she was headed towards me with a seductive little smile.

"Code red, bro." Fred's voice said beside me. I almost jumped but I just turned towards him with a smile instead.

"Help!" I whisper-yelled to him.

"What would you suggest?" Lee said from my other side. I grinned even more and turned towards him.

"An escape?"

"Too late." Fred hissed, his eyes on Katie who had just reached us.

"Hi, George." She said shyly, biting her lip nervously like Hermione always did. Instead of endearing me like it did when Hermione did it, I found it completely annoying. I didn't answer her, just gave a nod of my head.

"Are you doing anything?"

"At the moment? No. In about five minutes? Yes." I said, looking over her head to check on Hermione. She was still talking to Terry.

"Could you maybe find some time to help me with some Arithmacy homework tonight? I'm really struggling with it right now and Lean told me you were really good with it."

Bugger, I had spoken with Lean about Katie. Why did she go and tell her I liked Arithmacy? I felt like I was being backstabbed by my friends.

"Have you tried talking to the professor?" I asked, not meeting her eyes, looking over head at a spot on the wall instead.

"Yes, she even recommended you." That stalled me, I felt oddly flattered. I hardly put any effort into any of my classes, the fact that the professor had said I was good was brilliant.

"You know, Alicia's majoring in Arithmacy, you should go to her." Lee piped up, stepping forward and smiling disarmingly while making it clear that the conversation was over. Katie shot a glance at him and her eyes narrowed in annoyance.

"That would work." She said after a moment. She turned back to me and gave me that seductive smile again. "I'll see you later." She turned around and sauntered off, disappearing into the rest of the crowd.

"I'll see you later." Lee and Fred said together, in a ridiculous imitation of her. "What are you doing later?" Lee continued.

"I'm going on a date with Hermione." I said with a goofy grin.

"Well, what about after that?"

"Probably going back to the Common Room."

"We'll be waiting for you. Looks like we're going to have to go back on Katie watch." Fred said with a tired air.

I can't even describe how great of friends I have, how many people do you know that would wait for you when some creepy girl was stalking you? I grinned at them, trying to convey just how grateful I was to have such wonderful friends. They grinned back at me, letting me know they understood and that I didn't have to say anything.

"So, the potions have almost brewed for a full month, so we don't have to wait much longer before we can finish the candies up." Fred said, glancing at the knight statue that hid our secret lab.

"Yeah, after this batch we'll have a thousand boxes in storage. We're going to need more room soon." I mused, doing the math in my head. We were almost out of space in our lab, it was beginning to get uncomfortably cramped in there.

"I figured out how to do the charms for the fiz's." Lee said, after a moment, smiling mischievously.

"Brilliant, I've got the potions brewed." Fred grinned, looking wicked. I couldn't help but grin at both of them.

"I spent a few hours on the formulas last night, so I'm ready to start figuring them out if you guys are."

"It'll be a great chance to test out our shield hats at least." Lee said with a wry grin. I gave a quiet laugh and Fred chuckled.

"I was thinking, you know the decoys?" He asked once he stopped laughing. Lee and I both nodded. "What do you think would happen if we just, I don't know, accidently let a few go during DADA?" My eyes grew wide at that suggestion and I had to clamp a hand over my mouth to keep from letting out a very loud laugh. That was a brilliant idea, letting Decoy Detonators go off in DADA, Umbridge would go barmy!

We all laughed, unable to hold it back, it was far too good.

"We, really, really, have to do that." I finally managed, wiping the tears from my face. Lee was still clutching his stomach from the force of his laughter. I straightened up in time to see Hermione finally leaving Terry. Fred and Lee both stepped away, still laughing, leaving me alone with her.

"Hey, love." I said, grasping her hand in mine. She smiled at me, glancing over her shoulder to make sure that Terry had left.

"You seem to be in good spirits, do I need to be worried?" She asked, raising an eyebrow. I shook my head, chuckling quietly.

"Nah, Fred just told a really good joke." She gave me a look to let me know she wasn't buying that, but she didn't push it.

"Sorry to keep you waiting." She said in a low voice. I grinned at her and stepped closer to her, holding her hand tighter in my own.

"No worries love." I wanted to ask her what she had talked about, really, really, badly, but I kept my mouth shut, deciding I'd let her tell me if she wanted to.

"He asked me out again." She said when we began to walk.

"Really?" I said, trying to keep my voice neutral.

"Yes, I told him to bugger off. I've already got a steady boyfriend, and I am quite happy with him." she said, giving me a shy smile. I beamed back at her, letting her know just how much I appreciated that.

We walked past the wall seven times, and then the door to the Room of Requirements appeared. I opened it up and Hermione went through first, and let out a gasp. I nudged her all the way through, and let out a small gasp as well.

The room had transformed itself into the lake at the Burrow. There was a full moon overhead, and it felt like late spring. The trees were in full bloom and the lake water was perfectly serene. It made a lump rise up in my throat to see it, I hadn't been here since early summer of last year. I hadn't realized just how much I missed this place. I missed my home.

"This is beautiful!" Hermione exclaimed, her eyes lighting up. "It's my favorite place in the Burrow to go to."

"One of mine too." I said, stepping up next to her. "It's great for swimming or just relaxing." I grasped her hand tightly and smiled at her, feeling happy. I hadn't felt really happy for a long time.

We walked around the lake slowly, chatting freely and openly. We hadn't had a long talk in a long time. We hadn't had a chance to really do it. She opened up about what was going on and how she was feeling the stress of her OWLS and everything with Umbridge, how she was constantly worrying about everyone so much that she thought it was going to drive her completely mad. It was why she kept snapping at Fred and me. She worried so much that Umbridge was going to do something terrible that she just kept trying to stop us. She didn't want us to get hurt.

I explained why I kept doing it anyway, we had to get the shop up and running by the end of the year. We even had a spot picked out for where we wanted it. She understood, and I finally understood her.

After more laps than I could count we stopped and faced the lake again. She lowered herself down and I did the same, sighing happily when she leaned into me.

"This is nice." Hermione said quietly. She was staring at her lap with a bit of a shy smile.

"Yeah," I said quietly, wrapping my arm around her and kissing the top of her head. "I haven't got to be alone with you since Grimmauld Place."

"I know." She said quietly. She lifted her head slowly and looked up at me through her lashes.

My hand made its way up her side, finally resting on her jaw, cupping her cheek. I brushed my thumb against her soft skin as she looked up at me and bit her lip with a happy little grin. I smiled back at her and leaned down, pressing a kiss to her soft lips.

-o-O-o-

"So, after he does Incendio, we're thinking of trying Patronuses." Hermione said cheerfully as we walked down the corridor. I nodded my head absently.

"Sounds like fun."

"I think so, it's supposed to be really difficult magic though." She said, sounding slightly worried.

"You won't have any problem, love." I promised, rounding the corner.

"Thanks."

I grinned at her and decided to go ahead and ask my next question even though it was a week ahead of time.

"Will you accompany me to Hogsmeade on Valentines day?" She grinned, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

"I'd be thrilled to." She whispered. I was about to bend down and kiss her, but a kid skipping down the hall distracted me. Hermione hated kissing in front of other people.

"Detention!" A falsely sweet voice called out behind us. we both spun around, our eyes narrowed as we saw Umbridge standing in front of the kid (couldn't have been more than a first year).

"What rule is he breaking?" Hermione asked, stepping forward with narrowed eyes and a fierce frown.

"Rule 39 B." Umbridge said decidedly. Hermione shook her head, her bushy curls bouncing around her face in a furry.

"That rule is 'There shall be no throwing of any form of food into the Black Lake.' Nothing whatsoever to do with skipping down the halls." Hermione retorted. Umbridge narrowed her eyes for half a moment before she resumed her fake sweet exterior.

"Detention, I think, Miss. Granger, will teach you about speaking your mind." My mouth dropped open and I was stepping towards the little witch before I even processed my thoughts. I couldn't let her do that to Hermione, she was my girl, I had to protect her, I couldn't let anyone else I loved get hurt in that way!

"Gladly." Hermione said in a cold, but strong voice. Umbridge gave her a long look and then stomped down the hall, her heels clicking against the stones in an irritating manner. I stepped towards Hermione, my mouth open in shock. She turned towards me with fiery eyes and a fierce frown.

"I hate that vile woman." Hermione hissed, her beautiful eyes filling with angry tears. "I hate her!"

"I know, Love." I whispered, stepping closer to her and wrapping my arms around her and pressing a kiss to the top of her head. The kid who had been skipping walked over towards us, his eyes wide and upset.

"I'm so sorry!" He squeaked out, sounding scared of her. "I didn't mean to get you in trouble, I didn't know it wasn't allowed." Hermione pulled back from me and turned towards the kid, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand roughly and putting on a watery smile.

"Don't be," she said, her voice caring. "You did nothing wrong." She continued, bending down slightly so she was the first years height. She straightened his robes in a sisterly fashion, giving him a smile and talking like she was about to share a secret. "You just go ahead to your Common Room, and skip to your hearts content-don't do it in front of Umbridge though, just to be safe." He nodded his head, looking a little better.

"Thanks, that was really brave." He said, looking at her in awe before turning around and racing down the halls back towards his common room.

"I think someone just got a crush on you." I said with an amused little smile at Hermione.

"Nonsense." She said, stepping back to me and grasping my hand.

"Mark my words, he's got a crush on his Gryffindor savior."

-o-o-o-

"Would you calm down already?" Fred asked from the couch, frowning at me.

"I can't!" I snapped, sitting back down on the edge of the couch and immediately getting up again. I couldn't sit still while Hermione was being tortured by that hellish woman. All I wanted to do was go and curse that woman with Crucio until she understood the pain she inflicted on others.

That scared me, I was never violent, never unless Fred, Ron, Ginny, or another family member was hurt. Even then I didn't want to do that kind of damage.

I'd never hated someone but Voldemort with as much passion as I hated Umbridge.

"I know you're upset, George, but you can't keep pacing and ranting. Hermione needs you to be sane and calm when she gets back, not a raving lunatic."

"I'm too angry to sit!" I nearly yelled, pacing more furiously.

"I'm angry too, but you've got to think of Hermione." He said reasonably, stirring the murtlap mixture sitting in his lap absent mindedly.

"You don't understand, I love her." He looked up at that, his eyes wide and surprised. My own eyes grew wide at my confession, and I finally stopped pacing.

"I was wondering how long it would take you to admit that." He said, setting the bowl aside as I made my way over to the cushion beside him.

"I love her." I said simple, finally realizing why the potion smelled like Hermione. I can't really figure out when I began to look at her differently, but now, having her attention was as good as a reward. Being in the same room with her made me excited. Hearing her laugh made my heart skip a beat, seeing her smile made me smile. I was constantly feeling the need to touch her, always wanting hugs because that was the only time I knew for certain she was safe.

It wasn't just her body, though it was incredible, it was _her_. Everything about her, her smile, her eyes and the sparkle they got when she told me a new fact. Her incredible thirst for knowledge and need to help the ones she considered her friends. Her loyalty and subtle bravery, the way she looked at the future with hope despite everything that was going on.

"Incredible feeling, isn't it?" Fred asked quietly, looking at me with a happy smile. "Loving a bird? Took me by surprise when I realized I loved Ange."

For the first time in my life I didn't know what to say to Fred. I was completely speechless.

"I haven't told her yet though, can't figure out how too." Fred mused quietly, looking slightly sad. "I'm a bloody Gryffindor but I'm too scared to tell a girl I love her."

Godric's ghost, how would I tell her I loved her? What if she didn't feel the same?

"Georgie?" Fred asked, waving his hand in front of my face, "you still here?" I gave my head a stiff, nod, turning towards him with a small grin.

"I'm fine, Fred." He opened his mouth to respond, but the portrait door swung open and Hermione stepped through it. I hopped off the couch and ran up to her, grabbing hold of her and leading her to the couch. She was extremely pale and had her hand hidden in her robes. Once again anger was rippling in my stomach, causing it to tie itself up in a nasty knot as I helped her sit next to Fred who had already grabbed the bowl of Murtlap back up. I sat down beside her and gently drew her hand out of her robes, cringing when I saw it covered in her dark blood.

Hermione gave a quiet sniff, her first sound since arriving, when Fred placed her hand in the murtlap, and I pulled her to my chest in a tight hug, wanting to take the pain from her and bare it myself.

"I couldn't take it anymore, you know?" she whispered against my chest, pushing back a little so she could look at me. " It's just all too much-I feel so trapped here. I love Hogwarts, I love learning, but I hate it here now. I just want to prove to everyone that she can't get away with it, but I can't figure out how. We're fighting back with the DA but it's not enough sometimes." She confided, searching my eyes with hers to see if I understood. I did, all too well.

"I get it, believe me, I get it." I lifted my eyes from hers for a moment and found Fred's before looking at her. "Fred and I have some great plans for her underway, and, they're specifically designed not to harm any students.

She tightened her grip on my hand before looking from Fred to me with strong eyes. "I want you to throw everything you have at her," she said quietly, her eyes the only thing betraying the anger she felt. "She can't keep doing what she's doing unpunished." She swallowed and her eyes held a determination in them I'd always admired. "I want her to lose her precious 'Order.'"

I met Fred's eyes over her head, and had it not been for the solemnity of that moment, I know we both would have been grinning wickedly.

This would be so much fun.

* * *

><p><em>I hope you like this chapter :D Please leave a review.<em>


	40. Chapter 40

"You have to be kidding me, you got Hermione bleeding Granger to give you permission to prank someone?" Lee asked from the bean bag he was sitting on while he charmed Ton-Tongue Toffee's.

"Yeah, it was brilliant!" Fred exclaimed, stirring the bubbling pimple remover while he wrote down the recipe in our official WWW book. "She told us, and I quote, throw everything you have at her." Lee's mouth dropped open at Fred's exclamation, and I grinned happily as I continued to write down what I hoped would be the final formula for our Love Potions. I'd lost count of just how many versions of this thing I'd made.

"I don't think she has any idea what she just told us to do." I said, picking up an old ledger and studying the numbers on it. "She doesn't realize how much we've made."

"Well, her and Umbitch'll be in for a surprise then, huh?" Lee commented, packing up another box of Toffee's and starting a new one.

"I'm thinking we should start after Valentine's day, you know, so that she can't take away any of our freedoms before we show our girls a good time. We can start with the Decoy Detonators, that's what I want to do, anyway." Fred mused, leaning back from his cauldron as it flamed up. He'd nearly burned his eyebrows off the first time it had done that.

"I concur." Lee said with a big grin, his eyes sparkling with mischief.

"Do we want to do a prank a day, or only when we take her class, or only one a week?" I questioned, finishing up the formula and taking a step back to look at it. I am just good.

"We should do it at random, not every day, but not always on the same day. Sometimes once a week, sometimes more than that, sometimes go a week without one." Fred replied quickly, shutting the book and setting it aside. He pointed his wand at his cauldron and the fire went out underneath it. He sat back in a bean bag next to Lee, waiting for the potion to cool down.

"Sounds good." I said, spotting an error in my formula and stepping forward to correct it.

"Did you see that Umbitch posted a new Decree?" Lee asked after a moment. "You know, you can help me charm these while that cools." He added to Fred who laughed and shook his head.

"She posted another one?" I asked, turning towards him with a frown.

"Yep," Fred and him said together. "Boys and girls must not be within eight inches of each other." Lee quoted in a very good imitation of her.

"I can't wait to see how she tries to pull that off at supper." Fred added, a big grin on his face. I laughed at that, then realized a perfectly easy, and extremely annoying way she could.

"Separate sides." I breathed out, my voice sounding shocked.

"Godric's ghost, that's right." Fred said, his voice darkening.

"Which is why I am going to Hogsmeade for Valentine's day." Lee said with a decided nod. He sealed another box of toffee's and set them aside, picking up another one.

"Here, here." I said, raising my ledger like a goblet. Fred nodded his head before moving back to his potion. He touched it with a pinkie, and apparently satisfied with its temperature he summoned a crate of bottle and began to ladle the potion into them. I stepped back from the board and looked at my potion again, it was perfect now.

-o-O-o-

"HERMIONE!" Lavender's voice echoed inside their dorm room, causing me to smile wryly as a strong sense of déjà vu washed over me. "Mind my asking how you keep managing to climb the stairs?" She added, turning back to me.

"Now," I said, leaning against the railing with a casual air, "if I told you that it'd ruin the fun of doing it." She frowned at that, giving her head a little shake that caused her two plaits to flap against her back.

Hermione stepped around the door and towards me, giving a small frown to Lavender before beaming at me.

"Happy Valentine's day, love." I said with a big grin, offering her my arm. She took it with an equally as large grin, scanning my attire with an approving gaze. She was wearing a white sweater and black slacks with her robe. She looked pretty and I was really happy to see that she left her hair out.

We chatted excitedly on our way to Hogsmeade, and she reminded me that she had an appointment at noon in the Three Broomsticks. I was eager to join her for that. She'd coerced Rita Skeeter into writing a story about Harry for the Quibbler. I was so proud of her, she'd made a secret rebellion, and she'd blackmailed someone.

Apparently I was a bad influence on her.

It was only ten though, so I had two hours with Hermione, just her and me.

"No, we're going over here." I said, stopping her before she could start on the path to the Three Broomsticks or Hogs Head.

"Where?"

"Here." I answered, leading her to a barely trodden path that would take us to a quiet little clearing. It wasn't the same clearing I'd taken her to last year, and I'd protected this one with a lot of magical wards so that we wouldn't have a repeat of the snow incident last year.

"George," Hermione started, frowning fiercely when she saw where I was taking her, "I don't think-"

"Relax, love." I said, guessing what she was thinking. "I've fixed this place up really well. No one but us can get in this clearing, and I've even added a few warming charms." I finished up. She looked at me warily, seeming to weigh my words against her fear.

"Alright, let's go." She said, finally smiling softly. I grasped her hand again and we walked into the clearing. I had set up a blanket, a few snacks, and a couple of cushions. She smiled at the sight of it and gave me a little hug. I hugged her back, getting ready to start the first activity of the day.

I pointed my wand at a rock and it started to emit a soft tune. Hermione pulled back in surprise, and then beamed even more when I offered her my hand. She took it, and I pulled it to my chest, resting my hand on the small of her back. She leaned into my chest and hummed softly to the tune. I leaned my head against the top of hers, closing my eyes and taking a deep breath and enjoying the feeling of her body against me.

We danced for a while, and then she'd looked up at me with those beautiful dark eyes and I pressed a kiss to her lips. She kissed me back with abandon, pressing in to me even more and causing me to deepen the kiss. It was amazing how a simple kiss from her, heck, a simple touch, could set my heart to racing.

I don't know how, but we ended up lying down on the blankets, still kissing. She ran her hands along my chest, exciting me like mad and causing me to grip her tighter. She gasped into my mouth, making a mewing noise as she arched her back into me. We were lying on our side and her pressing her body into me caused me to break the kiss and gasp, taking a deep breath. She looked at me with slightly wild eyes, her brown hair falling around her face in crazy curls. She took a deep breath and right when I was about to reclaim her lips, she moved. She gripped my shoulders tightly in her little hands and pressed me flat against the blanket, moving on top of me and straddling my waist.

I gasped in surprise at her move and she pressed another kiss to my lips, cutting the noise short and stealing what little breath (and sanity) I had, away. My hands moved to her waist and I gripped it tightly in my hands, moaning when she writhed against me, causing my hips to buck up into hers. She gasped at that, breaking the kiss with wide eyes before reclaiming my lips. I was at a loss, I wanted to flip her over and take control, but I didn't want to scare her, I'd never seen her lose control so much and I didn't want her to do something she'd regret.

She rolled back over, still holding onto me, and gasping even louder when I rubbed against her tentatively.

A loud, _loud_, vibe went off beside us, causing Hermione to scream, and me to grab her to my chest, roll us over, and lie her beside me so that I was blocking her from the noise with my body.

It was her bloody wand telling us it was time to go meet Skeeter. I have never hated a piece of wood so much.

-o-O-o-

The meeting was quick, but a lot of fun. Skeeter kept squirming under Hermione's watchful gaze, and Harry looked relieved to get it all out. We (Hermione and I) didn't get any more alone time, but we got to sit together in the common room after dinner. It was fun, but I could tell she felt a little shy about earlier. I kept holding her close and making sure to smile at her any time she looked at me so that by the end of the night she was acting comfortable again.

The next day dawned bright and beautiful, seeming to encourage the crazy plans we had set. Fred, Lee, and I were extremely excited to get started, which unnerved everyone around us, naturally. When we were in a good mood it meant that we were going to do a prank.

"Remember, when she gives the first cough, drop it." Fred whispered as we walked into DADA. I nodded my head, locking my gaze with Lee before stepping towards my seat. Fred, Lee, and I weren't permitted to sit together because 'we caused trouble' as she so sweetly put it.

"Today," Umbridge started in her sickening voice. "We are going to cover the regulations on half breeds." She said the last words with a slight scrunching of her nose, as though the very word disgusted her.

A mild murmuring broke out and frown creased her face. She had the most trouble with our class, mainly because our class was all old enough not to care if she threatened us. Only the Slytherins and Ravenclaws were trying to actually pass the class. All the Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs were trying to disrupt it. (Two Ravenclaws were also of the opinion that the whole thing was a farce, and were helping us with our campaign to raise discord.)

"Hem-hem." She coughed quietly, trying to draw our attention back to her. I kept my face perfectly straight and dropped the small black ball on to the ground at the same time as Fred and Lee. Nothing happened at first, but the balls cracked open, letting out three more. Those balls grew, and then broke open, letting three more out of each of them. They kept reproducing like this, until each ball had reproduced thirty. It only took about three seconds for them to replicate, and then, they started.

All ninety of them broke open and sprung out two little legs and a horn. They hopped up, and started to walk around in circles, and then, they let out loud, shrill, shrieks. A cloud of black smoke rose up, covering the room in a dense fog.

Umbridge let out a squeak of surprise, and then all the students were laughing and she was yelling. Chaos rang supreme as she tried to regain her control and order, failing dismally when the decoy detonators started to send off bright red sparks and grow even louder.

It could not have gone better.

-o-O-o-

Fred, Lee, and I are _brilliant_. Umbridge couldn't place the prank on us, and we were in perfect decorum, so she couldn't give us a detention and it was driving her positively batty. It was the last Monday of February now, (tomorrow would be March 1st) and we were once again in the great hall.

"This is rubbish!" Ron snapped suddenly, shoving a book aside with a fierce frown. "They can't expect me to get all this done!" I wasn't sure who he was talking to, but it was Hermione who responded.

"Well, Ronald," I love the way she said his name when she was annoyed with him. 'Ronald' like it disgusted her to even say the word. "If you had worked on that paper when it was assigned, you wouldn't have been having trouble with it."

"I have to disagree." Harry said, looking up from his pork chop with a frown. "I worked on it the day it was assigned and I didn't get it then."

"It's really quite simple." Hermione said disapprovingly. "He's simply asking-" She was interrupted by Luna before she could finish. She walked over to the table and up behind Ron, placing a hand on his shoulder and handing a brown parcel to Harry. The moment she handed it to him, owls started to flock to our table, even though it wasn't delivery time.

Harry ripped off the brown packaging. Out rolled a tightly furled copy of the March edition of The Quibbler. He unrolled it to see his own face grinning sheepishly at him from the front cover. In large red letters across this picture were the words:

HARRY POTTER SPEAKS OUT AT LAST:

THE TRUTH ABOUT HE-WHO-MUST-NOT-BE-NAMED

AND THE NIGHT I SAW HIM RETURN

"It's good, isn't it?" Luna asked, giving Harry her dreamy grin. She still had her hand on Ron's shoulder and I noticed his ears had turned red. "It came out yesterday. I asked Dad to send you a free copy. I expect all these," she waved a hand at the assembled owls still assembling around on the table in front of Harry, "are letters from readers."

"That's what I thought," Hermione said eagerly, her eyes sparkling. "Harry, do you mind if we - ?"

"Help yourself," Harry said, reaching for a letter. We all reached for an envelope and ripped them open. We looked through letter after letter, saying aloud what the contents were, when we were interrupted by a falsely sweet girlish voice that every single person in Hogwarts hated with a passion. "What is going on here?" I looked up to see Professor Umbridge was standing behind Fred and Luna, her bulging toad's eyes scanning the mess of owls and letters on the table in front of Harry. "Why have you got all these letters, Mr Potter?" she asked slowly.

"Is that a crime now?" Fred said loudly, gaining the attention of everyone in the hall and making Umbridge squirm slightly. "Getting mail?"

"Be careful, Mr. Weasley, or I shall have to put you in detention," Umbridge said, looking around the room uneasily before returning her gaze to Harry. I rolled my eyes at her feeble threat, as if we were scared of detentions. I had three scars on my hand from her detentions, and I didn't give a damn about any of them. "Well, Mr Potter?"

Harry hesitated before answering, and then he spoke confidently. "People have written to me because I gave an interview about what happened to me last June."

"An interview?" she repeated, her voice thinner and higher than ever. "What do you mean?" I grinned as I listened to Harry's answer, noting that his eyes lit up with confidence.

"I mean a reporter asked me questions and I answered them," said Harry. "Here." And he threw the copy of The Quibbler to her. She caught it and stared down at the cover. Her pale, doughy face turned an ugly, patchy violet. I was thrilled at the rebellion of Harry, he never did things like this. Umbridge just brought it out of students apparently.

"When did you do this?"

"Last Hogsmeade weekend," Harry answered, and I knew what was going to happen, and that it would be utterly pointless with his invisibility cloak and our old map.

"There will be no more Hogsmeade trips for you, Mr Potter. How you dare . . . how you could . . ." She took a deep breath. "I have tried again and again to teach you not to tell lies. The message, apparently, has still not sunk in. Fifty points from Gryffindor and another week's worth of detentions."

She stalked away, clutching The Quibbler to her chest, the eyes of many students following her. Why did she keep steeling points? I don't know that we actually had any left…

By mid-morning enormous signs had been put up all over the school announcing that the Quibbler was not to be read. They were hung not just on house notice boards, but in the corridors and classrooms too. That was the best thing the crazy old bat could have done for us though, it promised that every single could would read them now.

In other words, now everyone would know a detailed account of the truth.

-o-O-o-

March arrived and brought the dreary weather with it. it began to rain, almost non stop, and the days slowly melted away. It's terrible, but I got a distinct feeling of satisfaction watching the quidditch teams practice in the awful weather.

It was perfect for inventing though, we couldn't go out, so there really wasn't anything else to do. We'd officially perfected our sleeping potions, our fireworks, our candies, our decoy detonators, a wide range of trick potions, a heap of trick wands, and a lot of shield items. We were actually getting an inventory together, a real stock of items.

Right now I was brewing up another batch of daydream charms, Lee was in Herbology and Fred was who knew were. I suspected Angelina, but wasn't sure.

"George!" Fred called from the entrance of our secret tunnel. I looked up from the potion in surprise, apparently I was wrong.

"Yeah?" I called, turning the heat off my potion.

"I got it, I got it!" He yelled excitedly, running down the passage towards me, causing his words to echo around the room.

"Got what?"

He appeared in the room, his eyes wide with excitement, his clothing skewed, his hair mussed from running, and a piece of parchment clutched tightly in his hand. "The deed!" my eyes grew as large as his and I stood up abruptly, knocking the cauldron over and sending the potion I'd spent the last three hours brewing over. I stepped over it, not even caring, and right next to Fred, snatching the parchment out of his hand and scanning it over quickly. Once I'd read it I looked back up, catching Fred's eyes with mine.

"No way." I breathed out, not daring to believe that he'd actually gotten the rights to 93 Diagon Alley.

"I know." He said, looking at me with a huge grin. "It's true, he just signed it this afternoon, he told me that we'd be able to move in any time after April 1st." I looked back down at the parchment and stepped back, sinking into one of the chairs we'd nicked from an empty classroom.

"Merlin's beard." Was all I could manage. I was holding the answer to years of hopes, of dreams, of hard work in my hands. This was the deed to our store, the piece of paper that would give us a building for Weasley's Wizards Wheezes.

"Accio bottles." Fred said, coming next to me. He snatched the two bottles of firewhiskey that shot to him from across the room and he handed me a bottle. I uncapped it with a slightly shaky hand, beaming at Fred.

"To pranks." I said, my voice growing emotional and wavering from the force of them rising up within me. Fred nodded his head, his grin threatening to split his face.

"To pranks and dreams." We clanked our bottles together and took a large swig, welcoming the burning sensation the drink brought.

"I can't believe it, we've actually done it." I managed after a few moments. Fred nodded his head, grabbing the paper back in ginger hands. He looked at it with a small smile, his eyes full of ill concealed emotion. He gripped his wand in his hand and gently touched it to the paper, a wood frame began to form around it, holding it in place and making me grin even wider.

"Wait till mum finds out." I mused, letting out a small laugh when Fred's head shot up. "She's going to have an eppy."

"You can tell her." Fred said as though he were giving me a great honor.

"You're the oldest, Brother'O mine." I said, shaking my head. "Those kind of task fall to the eldest."

"We could just send her a flier of our opening day." Fred offered, giving me a slightly pleading look.

I grabbed his offered hand and grinned even wider. "Sounds like a plan."

* * *

><p><em>I hope you like this chapter :D Please leave a review.<em>


	41. Chapter 41

Hermione and I were walking down the path to the Black Lake, it wasn't raining at the moment, but it was threatening to at any time now. We'd decided to take the brief break in the rain to go outside. I had her hand clasped loosely in my own and I couldn't help but smile happily.

"You seem happy." She commented, staring at me with her piercing eyes. My grin faltered momentarily.

"Umm, I'm just excited."

Her smile dropped as well, and she looked extremely sad suddenly. "I'm sorry I asked." My grin dropped and I promptly stopped walking.

"no, it's nothing like that, Love." I assured her, taking her hand in mine as well and turning her so that we were facing each other. "I'm just not sure how you're going to take what's making me happy." Her eyes widened and a grimace over took her face, as her eyes filled with tears.

How did that happen? How had I just made her cry?

"Love, don't cry. I'm sorry," I pleaded, grasping her hands tighter. "I'm excited because Fred and I finally got our store." Tears continued to fall down her face and she dropped her eyes from me. "It's going to be ready for us in april." I explained, trying to get her to stop crying, hoping that if I kept talking it might help. She took in a long shuddering breath at that admission and stepped back slightly.

"You're leaving?" She asked, her voice watery.

"No, well, eventually, but not any time soon. We can't leave you guys all alone with Umbridge." She took in another deep, shuddery breath, and more tears started to fall from her eyes. A crack sounded above us, and it started to pour with absolutely no warning. I looked down at Hermione, feeling completely lost as to what was going on and why I had made her cry.

She stared up at me with her eyes red from crying, tears I had somehow helped cause. The rain kept falling, soaking us and making her shiver in the cool night air.

"You ever danced in the rain, Hermione?" I asked, reaching down and brushing my fingers against hers. A shock went through me at the touch, and I couldn't take my eyes off her hand. I was going for a different angle now. Talking apparently wasn't helping right now

"No, I haven't." She said, her voice broken from all the crying she had been doing. I closed my eyes before reopening them and locking them on her brown ones.

I tightened my grip on her hand and pulled her closer to me. She placed her hand on my shoulder and against my chest, coming closer to me as I began to move her in a slow dance. I took another breath, my heart beating painfully against my chest as I said the next words.

"I have no idea what I just did to make you so upset, but I am sorry with everything in me." I told her, brushing my noise against her damp curls. "All this stress is making me crazy, I can't hardly think with everything going on. I keep messing up and hurting you because of it. All I can think about half the time is how much I hate Umbridge, I hate this year. I hate the ministry, I hate Percy, I hate Katie, I hate Krum, I hate Terry, I hate all the secrecy going on. I hate that you keep stopping Fred's and my pranks. I hate that I hate everything. But at the moment, none of that really matters because once again it's caused me to hurt you somehow, and I hate that most of all." I explained, bringing my hand up to her face and gently lifting her chin up so I could look her in the eyes. I leaned my head over so that I was protecting her face from the still pouring rain

"All that matters to me right now is that you understand this one thing." I sighed, tightening my grip on her as I mentally waved goodbye to the wonderful speech I had prepared to say this. I had worked this confession out in my head a lot of times, but this was not even close to it. I need to just give up planning things, it never works out right. I locked my eye with hers again and brought my hand up to her cheek, rubbing my thumb against the back of it as I let myself get lost in her beautiful eyes. "I love you."

Fear just got a whole new meeting as I stood there, my whispered words echoing around the quiet lake. The rain kept falling, it fell harder if anything.

Hermione blinked up at me, her brown eyes wide and completely surprised. I was painfully aware of her silence, and I couldn't do anything but just stand there and look at her, mentally begging her not to reject me. I'd planned this entire thing out to the letter in my head, but after she'd started crying on me I'd tossed that brilliant plan out.

I opened my mouth to speak, to break that awful silence, but I was cut short by Hermione. She sprang at me, wrapping her arms around my neck and pressing a heated kiss to my lips as she lunged into me. I fell backwards at the impact, and landed on the ground with a dull 'thud' that made my brain rattle and spots appear before my eyes. She landed on my stomach, her elbow digging into me and her hips colliding painfully with my groin. Her hair fell around my face, smothering me in a messy halo of wet, crazy, curls.

I let out a pained 'oomph' as our mouths broke apart, but before I could say, do, or think, anything else she'd gone back at my mouth. Our noises bumped as she hurried to reclaim my lips and I was still confused to what was going on. My head was aching, I was lying on the wet, muddy ground, Hermione was still pressing her elbow into my chest in a painful manner, and I was waiting to figure out if she had even heard the words 'I love you.'

That's a big deal, right? Telling your girlfriend of a year and a half that you love her?

She managed to distract me from all the above though when she shifted against me, moving her elbow out of my stomach, and parted my lips, stroking my tongue with hers in a tender move that stole my breath. She tightened her hold around me and I lost track of everything but the feel of her as I brought my arms up around her.

Okay, I'm easily distracted, so sue me.

"Oh, George," She breathed out, her voice airier than I'd ever heard it.

"Hermione!" I gasped out as she pressed a kiss to my throat. She pulled away from my throat, lifting herself up so that she could see my face and bit her lips with a nervous little smile.

"I love you too, George." She said, her eyes sparkling with merriment. I beamed back at her, no longer caring that it was raining hippogriffs out here or that I was laying in the mud. It didn't matter in the least because Hermione _loved_ me. Me, she loved me!

Merlin only knows how long we both stayed out there, snogging and enjoying the first moments after our confession of love, but it got really dark before I finally got up and pulled her with me. She grasped my hand tightly in her own, and we both beamed at each other.

"You know," Hermione said softly as we walked back to Hogwarts, both of us on cloud nine. "I rather like dancing in the rain."

"Me too." I said with a grin. We made it to the steps of the castle, finally out of the rain as we stood in the doorway. We were completely alone, because every one else was probably in the Great Hall eating dinner, so this seemed like the perfect time for what I had originally taken her outside for.

I pulled her over to the wall and reached into my pocket, pulling out a small silver object that I promptly hid in my fist.

"What I was trying to tell you earlier I never got to say." I said, my voice quiet and slightly tense. "I'm still not sure how you'll take it."

"Just tell me, I'll be okay." she said softly, rubbing her thumb against the back of my hand gently.

"Fred and I are probably not going to finish out the year. We already have the spot for the shop, and we've got enough products to start. We're just going to wait long enough to help everybody here before we leave." I explained, we had already decided we were skipping out before the NEWTs. She nodded her head, dropping her gaze from me.

"I'll miss you." she said quietly. "Will you write to me?"

"Every day, if you want." I answered quickly.

"Good, I'll write you every day as well." She whispered, tears falling from her eyes.

"I'm not breaking up with you Hermione, quite the opposite actually." I said, grinning despite myself. I took in a deep breath and finished my little speech. "I want you to know that I really do love you, and I want to give you something to remember me by. To know that I'll be waiting for you."

I opened my fist and showed the silver ring resting in the palm of my hand. It had a tiny heart at the top of it with two small emeralds on either side. Underneath it was a fancy cursive inscription' Semper et in aeternum' which was Latin for 'Forever and always.' Hermione gave a little gasp and looked at the ring with wide, disbelieving eyes.

"It's not much, but it is a promise ring. I won't be unfaithful, and I will always be ready to come if you need me." I said, slipping the ring onto her outstretched finger. She held the hand up and stared at the ring as tears fell down her soft cheeks.

"It's beautiful George, I love it, and you." She whispered.

I grinned down at her, feeling better than I had in a long time as she grabbed me in a fierce hug.

-o-O-o-

Everyone was reading the Quibbler now, despite Umbridge's ban. Students were beginning to break her decree's on purpose, enraging her with their miss conduct. She'd inadvertently turned the horror of having to scar your skin into a badge of pride. Students showed them off proudly, seeing who had gotten the cooler message, and who'd had to write more. (Fred and I were unchallenged winners at that. We had 'I must not cause trouble' 'our inventions our rubbish' and the ever popular, 'I will act my age') The scars became a sign of rebellion, a badge of pride that unified us all in our fight against her. Gryffindors acted recklessly, using our courage to help others out, the Hufflepuffs showed just what the meaning of the word 'loyalty' was by never admitting who had pulled a prank, (three or four of them would confess, and she could never get them to give each other up.) The Ravenclaws were using their big brains to out think her decree's, causing her no end of grief as we exploited them.

She couldn't stop us from fighting, and the DA kept gaining members, growing steadily fuller despite her efforts. It was the last week of March, and we were in the third DA meeting of the month.

We were finally learning how to do Patronuses now, the spell I'd been most looking forward too. Looking around the extremely crowded room as people summoned their patronuses I couldn't help but smile. Happiness seemed to fill the air, the charms warding off all evil thoughts.

Ron was standing by Luna, and I noticed he had her laughing happily and that was causing him to grin unashamedly. Fred was laughing loudly at something and I looked over to see Angelina being chased by a silvery fox. She shot her own patronus at him, a horse, and knocked him over, laughing when he yelped. Lee was playing with his monkey patronus while Alicia chased it with her Robin. My eyes found Hermione last, she was standing beside me, her brow furrowed in concentration as she tried to summon a patronus.

I grinned at her, feeling sorry for her at how hard she was finding this. I summoned my own silver fox and sent him to her, having it paw at her soft hair in a affectionate manner. She started at the contact, turning towards the fox and smiling as it nuzzled it's cheek against her.

A bright light burst out of the end of her own wand, and a silver otter swam through the air, coming back to her and circling around her legs. I brought my fox over to it, and they both ran through the air together.

"Harry, I think I'm doing it!" Seamus yelled from across the room. "Look - ah - it's gone . . . but it was definitely something hairy, Harry!"

"Hi, Dobby!" Harry said suddenly, only slightly worried. I dropped my wand and looked over at what was going on. "What are you - What's wrong?"

I turned towards the elf, noting his eyes were wide with terror and he was shaking. The members of the DA closest to Harry had fallen silent; everybody in the room was watching Dobby. The few Patronuses people had managed to conjure faded away into silver mist, mine included, and it left the room looking and feeling much darker than before. I stepped over to the right, towards Hermione and wrapped my arm around her while Dobby kept speaking.

"Harry Potter, sir . . ." the elf squeaked, trembling from head to foot, "Harry Potter, sir . . . Dobby has come to warn you . . . but the house-elves have been warned not to tell . . . "

"What's happened, Dobby?" Harry asked, grabbing the elf's tiny arm and holding him away from anything with which he might seek to hurt himself.

"Harry Potter . . . she . . . she . . ."

"Who's 'she', Dobby?" Harry asked, his face growing pale. Surely Dobby couldn't mean her.

"Umbridge?" Harry asked in a horrified whisper, his face going even paler. "Is she coming?" Harry asked quietly.

"Yes, Harry Potter, yes!" Dobby wailed, pounding his head on the floor.

Straightening up, Harry stared at us with wide eyes. "WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?" he bellowed. "RUN!"

Chaos broke out as everyone started moving for the doors together. I gripped Hermione's hand more tightly in my own and pulled her to the door, my eyes scanning the crowd for Fred's form. I saw him pushing past Zach to get to me, Lee, Angelina, and Alicia following him.

"Lab." I called, pulling Hermione into the crazy crowd. They nodded their heads and we pushed our way out. Once we were through the door I pulled Hermione to our secret passage, the one that hid our workshop. I dove in to the tunnel, Hermione following me without question as I led her deeper into our secret haven.

We made it to the back of the tunnel and I sat down in a chair, pulling her into the seat next to me as I tried to catch my breath and wrap my mind around what had just happened. Fred, Lee, Angelina, and Alicia came sliding into the room, and they all collapsed onto the various chairs and bean bags that littered the room.

"What just happened?" Fred asked, balling his hands into fist. "Who gave us up?"

"Surely not," Hermione exclaimed, growing pale. "No one would give us up, would they?" Her eyes were wide and she looked appalled by the very thought.

"I don't like it." Lee said, frowning fiercely as he clasped Alicia's hand, "But I don't really see any other answer."

"Me either."

"Then we'll know who it was tomorrow morning." Hermione said, in a voice that was colder than I'd ever heard her use.

"What'd you mean?"

"I mean, I put a jinx on that paper I had everyone sign. The entire school will know beyond a shadow of a doubt which of us snitched tomorrow at breakfast." My eyes grew wide and I couldn't help but smile at her. Despite everything that had just happened, I couldn't help but smile. Hermione had pranked someone, my girlfriend, my little rule obeying bookworm had just pranked someone.

She really couldn't get any hotter.

"As glad as I am to hear that," Fred said with a small grin, "We still have to figure out how we're getting back to the common room with the entire squad searching for us."

Lee's head shot up and his eyes grew wide with horror. "It's not going to matter." He said, his voice shocked.

"What?" Fred, Alicia, and I asked together.

"We left the list with all our names hanging on the wall."

How could we be so stupid? That was the first thing we needed to grab on our way out!

"Oh no." Hermione gasped, looking furious at herself.

"Ah well, doesn't make much a difference." I said, shrugging my shoulders. Everyone looked at me skeptically like I had just sprouted another head. "Think about it, whoever gave us up knows who is in the group anyway."

"That's true." Lee said, frowning. "We were screwed either way."

"I think we should use disillusionment charms." Angelina said thoughtfully.

"Huh?"

"To get out. They'll be easiest and should give us enough cover to get back to the common room."

They were, we cast them over ourselves and snuck out, running from shadow to shadow. We made it to the common room in a few minutes, and I was immensely grateful that we were one of the two towers. The poor Hufflepuffs had to go all the way to the basement to get to their common room.

We entered the room, and let out a breath of relief when we saw almost every Gryffindor already there. Ron, Ginny, Neville, Lavender, Pavarti, Katie, Dean and Seamus were all waiting in the common room when we arrived. They had tense looks on their faces, smiling nervously when they saw us enter. It was Neville, surprisingly, who spoke up first.

"All the Gryffindors are already here. We sent the younger ones to bed already, but the rest of us decided to wait up. We know Padma, Michael, Anthony, and Terry also got away, as well as Hannah, Justin, and Ernie. No word yet on the others." He cast a worried look at the door as we sat down on the floor. "We've had no sign of Harry though." He looked at Hermione anxiously, his eyes wide and his body tense. "Have you seen him?"

"No," she whispered, tears falling down her face, "I haven't seen him." I wrapped my arm around her more tightly, my stomach tying itself up in an unpleasant knot. We all looked at each other unsurely, all thinking the same thing. Where was Harry?

As if it knew what I was thinking, the portrait hole swung open and Harry staggered through. Hermione and Ron leap up faster than I could comprehend and each had an arm around him faster than I could blink. They led him to the fire, sitting him in a cushy red chair that Lavender vacated for him.

"Dumbledore's gone." He whispered, his eyes distant and his voice hollow.

Bloody Hell.

* * *

><p><em>I hope you like this chapter :D Please leave a review.<em>


	42. Chapter 42

I'm getting tired of these things:

BY ORDER OF THE MINISTRY OF MAGIC

Dolores Jane Umbridge (High Inquisitor) has replaced

Albus Dumbledore as Head of Hogwarts School of

Witchcraft and Wizardry.

The above is in accordance with Educational Decree Number Ninety-eight.

Signed: Cornelius Oswald Fudge, Minister for Magic

Yep, she wasted no time. By breakfast the next morning these were all over the school. Happy Birthday to Fred and me. We hadn't really said anything about it because we didn't want anyone to do anything for it. We had other much more important things to do and focus on.

Like making all the mischief I possibly could. We all made our way to the Great Hall glumly, none of us looking forward to what was going to be waiting for us there. A voice could be heard as we neared the Hall, but I didn't realize what it was until we entered.

"Educational Decree 73: No Music is to be played." Umbridge's voice echoed around the room as she announced each and every single decree over the loud speaker. I looked at Fred in disbelief and he gazed back at me with an identical expression.

My eyes scanned the room and I found Hermione, Ron, Ginny, and Harry already sitting down, all with pained expressions. Hermione look up and caught my eyes, quietly mouthing the words 'save me!' I grinned, drowning out the voice over the loud speakers.

We walked up to our table, noting that it was extremely quiet, uncomfortably so. We sat down next to Harry, and he gave his head the tiniest shake, looking worried.

"She hasn't said anything yet." Hermione whispered, leaning forward so that we could hear her. "The only thing that she's said has been over the loud speaker." I nodded my head, frowning in worry. That wasn't like her at all. I reached for a crumpet, and it happened. A loud pop sounded and letters appeared on all of our plates.

Hermione reached for hers but I held up my hand, stopping her. I lifted my own letter and opened it, fearful of what might be inside it.

_Mr. Weasley,_

_This is a formal reprimand and a order for you to be in the Great Hall every afternoon this week at three pm sharp. You shall be serving this detention due to the discovery of your signature on a document of an unpermitted group. _

_Cordially_

_Dolores Umbridge, Senior undersecretary to the Minister and Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher._

I frowned at the paper, reading it twice before setting it down and nodding my head to the others to let them know that it was okay to open it. I wasn't really surprised at all. After our talk last night I'd expected something like this to happen. This would be worse than a usual detention though, we'd have to watch our friends get tortured as well as torture ourselves.

It would backfire on her though. This would unite us more than anything else she could have done. We'd be more united, and angrier at her than ever. The woman had no idea how to handle people and she was pretty much pushing us together as a group.

-o-O-o-

"So, after this detention we need to make ourselves scarce. Umbridge will automatically suspect us, but we've got a good alibi being in the detention and everything. Still, better safe than sorry."

"Yeah, sounds good to me." Lee started, I held up my hand silencing him as I saw what was unfolding at the end of the stairs. Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle had surrounded Hermione, Ron, Harry, and Ernie. Malfoy was flushed scarlet at something Hermione had said and raised his wand. "How dare you, little mudblood! Ten more points!" he bellowed before walking down the hall, Crabbe and Goyle snickering behind him. I descended the last steps, my blood boiling as I watched him leave.

Ernie watched him leave with a disbelieving air. "He was bluffing. He can't be allowed to dock points. . . that would be ridiculous . . . it would completely undermine the prefect system." Harry, Ron, and Hermione all shook their heads, looking up to see the hourglasses losing points.

"Noticed, have you?" Fred asked, causing them to turn towards us. Hermione's eyes lit up and she stepped towards me, slipping to my side and leaning into me as I wrapped my arm around her.

"Malfoy just docked us all about fifty points!" Harry exclaimed, glaring at the hourglasses.

"Yeah," I said, squeezing Hermione and looking down at her as I continued. "Montague tried to do us during break,"

"What do you mean, 'tried'?" Ron questioned, looking scared.

Fred smiled wickedly, leaning against the stairs banister with a casual air. "He never managed to get all the words our due to the fact that we forced him head-first into that vanishing cabinet on the first floor." Lee let out a quiet chuckle, shouldering his bag and nodding his head.

"Won't you get caught though?" Hermione questioned, gazing at me worriedly. Fred answered while I brushed a kiss too her head.

"Not until Montague reappears, but that could take weeks. I dunno where we sent him." His voice was cool and casual, making it clear he didn't care when Montague appeared. "Anyway," he continued, "we've decided we don't care about getting into trouble anymore."

"Have you ever?" Hermione questioned, a small smile playing on her lips.

"Course we have," I said, waving my hand through the air dismissively. "Never been expelled have we?"

"We've always known where to draw the line," Fred continued

"We might have put a toe across it occasionally,"

"But we've always stopped short of causing real mayhem," Fred finished.

"Now?" Hermione questioned, looking both thrilled and horrified.

"Well, now –" I started, unable to stop the grin that was taking over my face.

" - what with Dumbledore gone –" Fred continued.

" - we reckon a bit of mayhem – "

" - is exactly what our dear new Head deserves," we finished together

"You know," Hermione said, a subtle smirk lifting her lips that I found extremely endearing, "you really mustn't cause trouble. However, seeing as it is your birthday, I'll let it slide." I grinned at her with a huge smile, unable to stop beaming.

"Now, you all had better go to the great hall for our detention. You want the teachers to know you didn't have anything to do with it."

"Do I want to know what?" She asked casually as we led the way to the great hall.

I smiled, looking back over my shoulder. "Sorry, I can't tell a prefect." She gave me a playful smack on the back of my arm, racing in front of me to reach the great hall first.

The other DA members were already here, but they didn't look even slightly scared, they were all glaring at Umbridge defiantly. Seven seats were vacant, so we all stepped towards them. I stopped when I noticed they were assigned seating. Fred was sitting in across from me next to Ginny and Angelina, and I was sitting next to Ron and Hermione.

Every single time she did something I found myself once against struck speechless with just how evil she was. She had purposely placed us so we were next to the people that would be the most painful for us to watch.

I sat down and bit the inside of my cheek in an attempt not to say anything. I was not going to give her the satisfaction for as long as I could hold it off. We only had to wait twenty minutes before our plan would be put into action.

"You will write these words. You will not talk, you will not stop, you will not hesitate, you will not withdraw your wands. Understand?" She asked she indicated a chalk board behind her back with the words 'I will not break rules' written across it in a frilly calligraphy.

Parchments appeared in front of us, along with the cursed quills. I looked up at Fred and caught his eyes with mine as I put the pen to the paper I wrote the first letter tentatively, and I felt a sharp pang in my hand. A smile spread across my lips despite myself. It was my handwriting, I was writing on my own hand.

Quiet hisses of pain echoed around the room, every once in a while accented by a sniff from one of our younger students. Anger bubbled in my stomach but I forced it down. I only had to wait a little longer. Just long enough for it to start.

Five

Four

Three

Two

One.

BANG  
>The room grew painfully quiet for a moment, as the bang echoed around the room. Everyone looked up, and Umbridge gave a little frown, stepping forward slowly. For a moment, nothing else happened, and then a thousand smaller booms filled the air. The doors to the great hall burst open and the show began.<p>

Fireworks made of gold and green sparks were soaring all around the hall; phoenixes made of gold and orange, and red flaming sparks twirled around the corridors; neon pink Catherine wheels that were bigger than me were whizzing around the air like flying saucers; a Gryffindor lion made of streams of red and gold sparks charged down the hall; a Raven of sparks swooped down and singed heads; a badger scampered along the floor, leaving trails of fires in its wake; rockets with tails of silver were ricocheting off walls. Sparklers were writing words in the air, most of which were swear words; firecrackers were exploding everywhere in brilliant flashes of color.

Umbridge let out a scream of frustration, and ran out to the hall, screaming for Filch. I glanced at the rest of the students, noticing most of them were looking at the fireworks in awe. I climbed off the stool and ran with several other students to see what was going on.

Umbridge was running around in a panic, casting spells at the fireworks, and then promptly screaming at Filch not to use the spell-as though he could have cast them. The man was a Squib! He was chasing them with a flaming broom, a look of utter rage on his gnarled face.

I leaned against the door frame with an easy grin, and I saw the only member of the DA who wasn't in the room.

Marietta Edgecombe was standing at the far end of the hall, her arms crossed and a little frown on her face. That wasn't what caught my attention though. Across her forehead, written in awful, bright red pimples was the word SNEAK.

Hermione was the most brilliant witch I had ever seen.

"GO TO YOUR CLASSES!" Umbridge snapped, rounding on all the students standing in the doorway. I grinned again stepped out. Hermione walked past me, mumbling something about the library. I ran after her, my only thought reaching her. She made it to the library, heading to her favorite spot.

I stepped up behind her, a grin spreading across my face as I placed a light hand on her shoulder. She turned around, looking at me with wide eyes.

"George?"

"That was brilliant, love. I just saw Edgecombe." Her eyes widened and then dropped, breaking our gaze.

"I-I shouldn't have."

"Yes, you should have." I said, grinning even more. "That was incredible. She did the most vile thing she could have to us, you let her off easily." I grinned even more, brushing a lock of her hair back and letting the hand rest against her cheek. "Personally, I can't wait till the Hufflepuffs get hold of her, they take the whole loyalty thing very seriously. She let out a quiet, giggle, giving me her special smile, the one that seemed to promise me love and happiness. It always left me light headed and breathless.

"Do you like breaking rules, Hermione?" I asked softly, leaning down so that my breath washed across her face. "Because you've been breaking quite a lot recently."

She lowered her eyes again and then looked back at me, biting her lip eagerly. "I think, I think I do." She murmured. She brought her hand up to my face, brushing a lock of my hair away from my face, a tender look in her eyes. "My boyfriend showed me just how much fun it can be."

"Well then, we'll have to get started, I know one we can break easily." I whispered against her ear. I leaned back after that and looked her in the eyes again. she was still nervously biting her lip.

"What?" She questioned.

"Well, the eight inches seems like a good idea." She nodded her head, grinning up at me as she gazed at me through her lashes.

"Most assuredly." She whispered out. She leaned up and pressed a timid kiss to my lips that I all too eagerly returned.

Breaking the rules just kept getting to be more and more fun.

-o-O-o-

"They were wonderful fireworks, with really great magic." My mouth spread in a huge grin at Hermione's barely whispered words. She was looking at me with a nervous little smile, as though she wasn't sure how I would take her admittance.

"Thanks," I said, glancing at Fred. He gave me a little nod and I grinned back at him. "We named them Weasleys' Wildfire Whiz-Bangs." She smiled appreciatively at the name, smiling even larger I grabbed her hand and led her away from the others. "Only thing is, we used our whole stock. We're going to have to start again from scratch."

She looked at me with her dark eyes and pulled me tight in a hug. "Let me know if you need any help," she said quietly, giving me a quick kiss before pulling back. "I love you." My eyes widened a slight bit in surprise. That was the first time she'd said those words when we hadn't been completely alone. I told her it regardless of where we were. I'd taken too long to say to care who heard. I loved her, what did it matter if anyone else knew?

"You are incredible, you know that?" I asked, grabbing her back in a tight hug.

"Yeah, I know." She said softly. I pressed a kiss to the top of her head as a feeling of melancholy rose up in my stomach. I was going to be leaving her at the end of the month. I would be leaving her alone with Umbridge, leaving her, Ginny, Ron, and Harry alone to fend for themselves. I felt like I was betraying them. I knew I wasn't and that they didn't see it that way, but I still felt like that.

"Hey, stop that." She said quietly, looking up at me with a small frown. "Today was a good day, don't ruin it with a frown. I hate seeing you look sad." She placed her small hand against my jaw, brushing her thumb against my lip with an affectionate smile. "Today you reminded everyone that she can't possibly win. You reminded me that Gryffindors are known for our reckless bravery, love." She took a breath and blinked back a few tears that looked like they wanted to drop from her eyes. "I know you have to go soon, but you've given us all the courage to keep fighting. You reminded us that she can't stop us."

"I love you." I said thickly, holding her even tighter and resting my head against hers. "You know that, right?" She nodded her head, smiling at me. "Yeah, I know."

It never failed me to amaze me just how incredible she always felt in my arms. She fit against me perfectly, molding into me with her soft body and stealing my breath.

"I got you a present." She said suddenly, pulling away from me a little bit.

"Huh?" I questioned, looking down at her in confusion.

"Silly, did you forget it was your birthday? Or did you really think I would forget it was your birthday?" I just blinked at her in surprise.

"Would you like it?" I nodded my head, a small grin lifting my lips up. She grasped my hand in hers and lead me to the sofas, sitting down and pulling me next to her. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small orange box and placed it in my open hand. I gripped it eagerly and opened it up, grinning like a maniac as I did, there was a chunky leather bracelet in it. I raised my eyes to look at Hermione and saw her biting her lip extremely nervously.

"It's a shield bracelet with a link to my ring. I've put the strongest protective wards I can on it, as well as a tracking mechanism. If you ever need to find me, or vice versa, we simply twist it three times clockwise, and then once counter clockwise. It'll grow hot and then open the link. Also, you can type a message on it just like the galleons…" She trailed off, looking at me uncertainly. I just grinned at her and grab her up in my arms.

"It's brilliant, Hermione." I said, my voice thick with emotion. "I love it."

-o-O-o-

"It's a new day, Freddie." I crowed, bouncing on the end of his bed. Fred groaned and rolled over before promptly sitting up and smiling at me in a way that would have made anyone else cringe. It just made me excited, it promised a day filled with mischief.

"Yes, it is, isn't it?"

"Do you know how evil you two sound?" Lee called from his bed, sitting up with a sleepy yawn. His braids were mussed and falling around his face in a crazy way.

"Do we scare you, Jordan?" We asked together. He shook his head, grinning equally mischievously.

"Nah, I like it."

"Great, then get your lazy arses out of bed so we can get a start on the mischief." Lee nodded his head as Fred jumped out of bed, pulling on his clothes quickly.

"Do we want to bother even going to class today?" He asked me. I shrugged, feeling indifferent. We were leaving at the end of the month, and no one but Umbridge would give us detention.

"Lets skive, we can do it with out you," I said to Lee, "that way, so you won't get in trouble."

"Yeah, that could work." Lee said thoughtfully. "Not that I need an alibi."

"You don't need one, but we need you to carry the torch after us." Fred explained, tying his tie with a disgusted look. I knew he agreed with me about the vile little things. I think they had been charmed to try and choke us.

Lee's smile faltered, and he looked sad for a moment before he masked it. "Yeah, brilliant."

"I can't wait for you to graduate." I said, finishing my tie and pulling my robe on. "It's going to be brilliant. The three of us living together running the shop, can you imagine the trouble we can get into together?"

"Yeah, brilliant." Lee said quietly, giving me a slightly wistful look.

"Did you get the love potion set up?" Fred asked, pulling his robe on.

"It's in the drink. We just have to wait for him to drink it." Lee answered, pushing his hair back from his face and straightening his sweater.

"We need cooler uniforms, these things are miserably hot." Lee grumbled.

"We need to put that on the list of product ideas." Fred said, stepping towards the door. I nodded my head and pulled a notebook from my pocket. I jotted the idea down and followed him out.

"Okay, when Filch drinks the goods, we need to get to his office. Lee, you keep your eyes on Umbridge, Fred and I will set up the trap. Let us know the minute he's taken away." Lee nodded his head, beaming with anticipation.

We grinned one last time and then split up. Lee headed towards the Great Hall and we headed towards the dungeons.

We hid outside of Filches office, behind a knight statue and waited for Lee's signal. Less than five minutes later the modified galleons went off in our pockets and we entered the office.

"Set it up over there, we can't let him see it when he enters." Fred instructed from his post at the door. I nodded my head and set the decoy detonators in his filing cabinet. I set the trick tiles in front of the cabinet and then placed the voice dust on top of it. The moment he tried to put a file into this cabinet he'd stir up the dust, causing him self to inhale it, he'd try to step away from it, but the tile would hold him in place. He'd grab onto the cabinet to try and escape, and it would set off the detonators.

Just a little gift to our favorite caretaker.

"He drank it!" Fred exclaimed, his voice filled with glee. I looked up from my spot and smiled as well, wishing I could have been there to see it. The image of Filch chasing after Umbridge, having ingested a love potion was just too good not to see. Can you imagine it?

"I'm done, let's go watch the show."

"I can't wait." Fred said, stepping up next to me and grinning like mad. We raced back down the halls, heading for Gryffindor tower.

* * *

><p><em>I hope you like this chapter :D Please leave a review.<em>


	43. Chapter 43

By the time we made it back to the tower, Filch had already been knocked out by Umbridge. I was a little upset I didn't get to see him drooling over Umbridge, but heck, it was fun anyway.

This was the best month ever. We had pulled more pranks in the last week than we'd done in the entire year. We had set off a thousand fireworks, let loose a hundred decoy detonators, placed candy all over, set up trick tiles everywhere, and caused mayhem in any way we could. I was in heaven, and it was only going to get better.

We have even, drum roll please, gotten our own decree!

BY ORDER OF THE MINISTRY OF MAGIC

ALL WEASLEY PRODUCTS ARE HENCEFORTH  
>BANNED FROM THE GROUNDS<p>

The above is in accordance with Educational Decree Number one hundred and eleven.

Signed: Cornelius Oswald Fudge, Minister for Magic

Isn't it cute? Fred and I are thinking of stealing it before we leave and posting it up in the shop. How many other pranksters do you know that have a rule against their mayhem?

Hermione and I are stronger than ever, Fred and I were feeling free, and Lee was beginning to get the same feeling. He only had two more months before he'd graduate. Angelina, and Alicia would be graduating as well. They were going to move to Diagon Alley, Lee was staying with us, and I really couldn't wait.

I was really upset about Hermione though. She wouldn't graduate from Hogwarts for another two years, so I'd have to wait forever for her to join us. I was waiting though, she was the best thing ever and was definitely more than worth any wait.

That being said, it was now the second week of our prankathon. Easter weekend started tomorrow, so after today we were going to be taking a three day break. Everyone would be doing revisions, so we weren't going to disrupt anything then. The last thing we wanted to do was disrupt someone's revision.

Today was fair game though, and we were making the most of it.

"George!"Fred's voice called from behind a Knight statue. Lee and I both skidded to a stop from where we had been running down the hall and we turned towards the statue that hid the entrance to our lab. We slipped in, smiling eagerly when we saw Fred standing there.

"It's brewed." He stated, a mischievous smile lifting his lips.

"Brilliant!" We exclaimed together. I reached into my pocket and pulled out the hollow treat as Fred grabbed a ladle full of the viscous green potion. He poured it into the treat, and then I mumbled a spell to close it up.

"All right, I'll drop this off, and then you," I said to Fred, "Can put the deck of exploding snap in Filches chair. Lee, set the firework off in Umbridge's office." They both nodded their heads and we all slipped out of the secret passage.

I slipped past them and headed down the hall towards the basement. I cast a disillusionment charm over myself and grinned with anticipation. There was nothing on earth as fun as pulling off a perfect prank, well, maybe kissing Hermione, but that was the only thing that could even compare.

I got to the dungeons without being spotted by anyone. Once I reached Filches office I paused, a wicked grin lifting my lips as I saw my prey sitting at the end of the hall. Her yellow eyes gleamed in the dark, examining the quiet hallways for any sign of students up to mischief. I took the treat out of my pocket quietly and carefully, before tossing it towards her. She stood up at the noise and glared at the noise before making her way towards it prissily. She found the cat treat and sniffed it cautiously before swallowing it whole.

As soon as she swallowed it she let out a strangled 'meow' and then shuddered, standing on her tip toes and arching her back. She hissed and hacked, scrunching her body up as she attempted to get rid of the treat. It was too late though, she'd already swallowed it.

The affect was immediate, the moment she had swallowed it the changes had started. she began to shrink, and she kept shrinking until she became the size of a guinea pig. She yowled, and turned around racing back towards Filches office. A big grin lifted my lips and I stole back down the hall, fighting the laugh that wanted to break loose.

I raced back to our meeting spot, smiling the entire while as I returned. Fred and Lee would have finished by now, so they should be here at any moment. This was the last prank we were pulling today, we'd already done quite a few today. We'd released a thousand peas enchanted like bludgers into the DADA classroom, and placed a puking pastille in Umbridge's tea bags.

"Did it work?" Fred asked, sneaking up behind me with Lee right on his trail.

"She took the bait, it was awesome. I've wanted to get her for a long, long time." I said, grinning wickedly.

"Wish I could have seen it. I put the firework in her office. I can't wait to see her face when the dog appears and starts to terrorize her cats."

"What's say we celebrate a job well done?" Fred asked, grinning happily.

"Here, here." I said with an equally large grin.

-o-O-o-

"Hey, love! You doing anything?" I asked, stepping up behind Hermione's chair and pressing a kiss to her cheek before moving to the spot next to her. I wrapped my arms around her and nuzzled her hair

"No, not at the moment. Why?" She questioned, smiling at me as she leaned into my arms. I pulled her legs up and pulled her onto my lap, wrapping my arms around her waist and holding her close. I loved holding her, being close to her.

"I was wondering if you'd like to do something." I said with a smile, she smiled back at me, relaxing and seeming to enjoy the contact. I certainly was.

"I've got to do some research for my revision before bed, but I have some free time." She confided, pressing her cheek against my chest and letting out a satisfied sigh.

"I'm extremely glad to hear that." I murmured against her hair, she nuzzled into me even more, shivering slightly when my breath washed over her.

"What do you have in mind?" She asked, tightening her grip around me.

"I don't know, did you have any thoughts?" I hadn't actually expected her to say yes, she had her OWL's after all.

"How about the lake? We could go down by it." She said, I noticed her cheeks lit up in a blush as she spoke. My interest piqued by the blush so I nodded my head, grinning at her.

"Sounds like fun." I stood up and helped her stand as well. I grasped her hand in my own and pulled her towards the door, it was getting dark so we wouldn't have long before it was curfew, not that I cared in the least.

We made it to the lake quickly, running most of the way so we'd have more time. We slowed down once we neared it. She was still blushing fiercely, and that was extremely interesting to me.

"Any particular reason you chose the lake?" I asked, bringing her closer to me. She gave me a shy smile, and blushed even brighter.

"It's, uh-it's nothing." She muttered, not looking at me. It had to be good. I grinned even wider and looked over at her, shaking my head.

"Nope, I'm not taking that. No way."

She glanced at me and frowned. "You won't let it go?"

"No."

"Alright, a daydream charm." She murmured, lowering her eyes.

"Really?" I asked, raising my eyebrow with an amused smile. I had to hear this, it was too good. She never blushed like this, not in a while anyway.

"Tell me about it?" I pleaded, giving her my best begging eyes. She blushed still brighter, and then gave her head a slight nod.

"Promise not to laugh?" She questioned. I gave my head an earnest shake.

"Never, love."

"Alright, we were by the lake, dancing, and you kissed me under the stars. It was incredibly romantic and was my favorite one." She admitted. I didn't laugh, just smiled softly and pulled her into a hug.

"Well, let's see if we can make it a reality." I murmured against her ear. She shivered in my arms and pulled my face to her lips. I held the kiss for a moment, but broke it before we could get carried away. She made a disappointed noise in the back of her throat, making me smile happily. She tried to pull me back to her lips but I pressed a finger to her lips, stilling her. "Not yet, love." I grasped her hand loosely in my own and pulled her towards the edge of the lake. I shed my robe and tossed it under a tree before grabbing my wand out of my back pocket and aiming it at the tree. It began to emit a soft melody, one that we could easily dance to. I turned back to Hermione and felt my mouth drop open.

She had taken the moment I'd been turned around to change her clothes. She was now wearing a beautiful blue dress, it was pale and made her dark eyes and hair stand out even more in the darkening evening. It was sleeveless, and long, hugging her upper curves, while turning into a loose skirt at the bottom so that she could easily move her legs.

"Godric's ghost." I whispered, swallowing in an attempt to regain my senses. She looked stunning, almost supernatural in the fading sunlight. I stepped forward and offered her my hand, which she took with a shy little smile. I grinned even wider and pulled her closer to me gently, resting my hand on her waist and holding her other hand to my chest, over my heart. She took a small breath and let her other hand rest on my shoulder. I swayed to the music gently, marveling at how well she danced.

It seemed like a life time ago, the first time I danced with her. It was only a year and a half ago, but it felt like so much longer. It felt like we had always been together-would always be together. I loved her and I loved how well we fit together. Not just physically either. She helped to calm my craziness, but I pushed her out of her rigid shell.

She looked up at me with her dark eyes, causing my breath to quicken and heart to pound against my chest. She licked her lips subconsciously, tightening her grip on me as she leaned into me. My grip tightened on her waist and I leaned down towards her licking my own lips as I looked into her darkening eyes.

Our lips met in a passionate kiss, heated and slightly desperate. She gripped me tightly, clutching my shirt in her hands as she pulled me closer to her lips. She arched into me when my hands dropped lower down her waist. I deepened the kiss, and grinned when I felt her legs give out beneath her. I held her up for a moment, and then began to lower her to the ground, holding her close to my chest. She gave a low moan as my hands traveled up her side, edging me on and making me more excited. I held her tighter, and set her on the grass, holding myself up with one hand while I ran the other over her body. She pressed a hard kiss to my lips, her hands roaming all over my body until they came to rest on the buttons of my shirt. She pulled at them eagerly, and undid them, running her hands down my chest. I broke the kiss with a moan and sat up, shrugging my shirt off and tossing it behind me.

I looked down at her with dark eyes, breathing heavily as I saw her flushed body writhing beneath me. Her eyes were dark, her lips swollen, her hair mussed, and her chest heaving as she took in deep lung full's of air, her hands reaching up to pull me back down. I let her pull me back down and pressed a kiss to her lips as I pressed against her. She gasped at the touch and rubbed against me tentatively, causing me to growl in the back of my throat and grip her body more tightly. She wrapped her legs around my waist and threw her head back, breaking the kiss as she let out a quiet cry. the sound made me warmer and the feel of her legs around me drove me to act. I pressed into her, loving the sensation and lowered my head to her neck, kissing the exposed skin and causing her to moan even more.

"George!" She gasped out, bringing her hands up to my hair, bringing my lips back to hers.

I kept kissing her, trying not to lose myself to the sensations that were rising up in me. I wanted to go all the way with her, but I couldn't yet, not here and not now. I slowed the kiss down instead, trying to make my heart stop racing as I gently caressed her body. I rolled us over so that she was on top of me and I brushed my fingers through her hair, finally breaking the kiss and holding her head to my chest. She took a few deep breaths and seemed to be trying to calm herself down as well.

"Wow," She finally breathed out. I nodded my head, grinning despite myself.

"I know." I whispered, still holding her tight. A breeze went across the lake, blowing over us and helping to cool us down. I continued to stroke her hair as she lay against me. We lay quietly for a moment, both of us bringing our heart and breathing back under control.

"George?" She whispered finally, not lifting her head up.

"Yes?" I asked, worried by the tone of her voice. It was fearful but I couldn't figure out why it would be.

"Have you ever… You know, made lo- slept with anyone?" she continued, hiding her face in my chest even more. I smiled softly at her question and brushed my hand across her face before running it up and down her arm lazily.

"No, love. I've never gotten that far. I was fifteen when I last dated a girl seriously, and she was only fourteen. After her I mostly spent my time trying to avoid Katie." I explained, letting my hand come to a rest on her back. I had been wondering when we were going to have this conversation. We'd been dating for a long time, and I knew she was curious about it by the way she would talk sometimes. I stilled my hand from where I had been rubbing circles into her back and asked her the same question.

"What about you?" I was sure of the answer, but I couldn't help but be a little nervous. If she said she had I don't know what I'd do. Probably hunt the bloke down and show him the real meaning of pain, he'd never do another bird.

I'm scaring myself again.

"Don't be silly, George." She said quickly, sitting up a little so she could look at me."I've never done anything like that before." She laid her head back down and we grew quiet again. I felt extremely relieved and couldn't suppress the grin that spread across my lips.

"Do you want to?"

"Hmm?" I asked, still trailing my hand up and down her arm.

"Do you want to sleep with me?"

Well hell, I did not expect that any time soon. It was my turn to blush now.

"Of course I do, Hermione." I said quietly, looking up at the stars that were beginning to appear in the night sky. "I don't want to do anything until you're ready though." I continued quickly, tightening my grip on her. "I love you and I don't want to do anything to make you uncomfortable. I'm fine with waiting as long as you need." She didn't say anything, just held me a little tighter.

We sat like that, arm in arm for a while longer. Neither of us saying anything, both of us just enjoying each others company and the quiet comfort of holding each other. It was extremely late before we returned back to the common room.

* * *

><p><em>I hope you like this chapter :D Please leave a review.<em>


	44. Chapter 44

The next day we got up early, and I headed downstairs to see the trio sitting in front of the fire with a bunch of books spread out in front of them. A grin lifted my lips at the sight of it and I couldn't help but let out a quiet laugh when Ron let out a defeated moan.

"There's so much!"

"I didn't notice." Hermione snapped, lifting her head from her book and narrowing her eyes at my little brother. One of these days he would learn to keep his big mouth shut. Until then, he'd have to get better at shield charms and dodging.

"Need any help, love?" I questioned, leaning against the back of the couch they were sitting on. Hermione turned in her seat and gave me a smile.

"That would be brilliant." She exclaimed, brushing her hand across mine. I grinned even more and moved around so I was sitting next to her. She smiled again and I moved closer to her, wrapping my arm around her as I looked at her notes. She was doing a revision for Arithmacy, funny enough. She was doing well enough on her own, but she had stalled on a problem that I recognized. It was one I'd had to figure out for the nosebleed nougats.

"Have you tried using Fulgairea's solution?" I asked, rubbing my thumb in a small circle against her hip. She shivered at the contact and leaned into me with a quiet sigh.

"Fulgairea?" She murmured, shaking her head as though trying to clear it. "No, but that's a good idea." She plugged her problem into it and a grin lifted her lips.

"Any suggestions for why Jupiter lining up with Venus while Sirius is at it's darkest would be significant?" Harry questioned, squinting at a star chart with a frown. I grinned and shook my head, letting out a light laugh.

"Nah, I loathe Astronomy. I didn't even show up for its final."

"Bollocks." Harry muttered, tossing the paper aside and going back to his book. Ron just shook his head, going after the chart.

"Try Angelina, she was brilliant with that rubbish."

"Really?" They both asked, lifting their heads eagerly. They glanced at each other and then both hopped up, running towards Angelina who was at the other end of the room. Hermione watched them go with a small frown, giving her head a shake.

She went back to her paper and finished the problem, smiling happily at it before setting it to the side. She picked up her charms paper and started on it, narrowing her eyes in concentration. Her brow furrowed and she got two lines across her forehead that she always got when she was focusing really hard. I found them extremely adorable, and oddly attractive. She started to scribble her answers down and I leaned towards her, brushing her hair away from her neck. She glanced at me out of the corner of her eye and then turned back to her paper.

I grinned softly and inched minutely closer, placing a soft kiss to her now exposed neck. She gasped and tilted her head without thinking, giving me more access.

"George," She murmured, her voice airy and causing a chill to go down my back. I loved the way she said my name like that. I loved the way she said my name period.

"Yes?" I mumbled back, my lips still against her neck.

"You're not helping me, you're distracting me." She said, turning her head towards me. I moved my mouth further up her neck towards her jaw.

"You need a study break."

"No, I need to finish this revision." She insisted, but her voice wasn't overly convincing.

"Everyone needs a study break, it won't be long, love."

"Are you going cheap on me?" she questioned, moving her head even more so that my lips were next to hers.

"Nah, I figure we can take the long one later." I suggested. She grinned even more and pressed a slight kiss to my lips. I tried to deepen it but she pushed away from me.

"Not now, Georgie."She whispered, "After I'm done with this paper, then I'll be yours."

I looked at her, my heart beating faster as I looked at her dark eyes. I smiled after a moment and grabbed her paper up. I glanced back at her before grabbing a quill up and leaning back against the couch. "Let's get this finished."

"The sooner the better."

-o-O-o-

Hermione followed through on her promise, and we were now hiding out in the secret lab. She had actually suggested the location, which really surprised me. It was completely private, only Lee or Fred could walk in on us. I'd safe guarded against that as well. Whenever one of us was occupying the room we would leave the knight's hood up, signaling we were in it with our girl.

We were lying on the cushions together, snogging lightly. I was holding her loosely, enjoying the feel of her body wrapped around mine.

"How many more days?" She asked quietly, pulling away from my lips.

"Till what?" I questioned, moving towards her mouth again.

"Till you leave me?" I stopped at that, pulling back enough so that I could see her.

"Hermione, I'm not leaving you. I'm leaving Hogwarts, but I'll be more than willing and ready to come back at any time. I love you, I'm not leaving you."

"I know," she said with a sigh, turning away from me and sitting up, wrapping her arms around her legs. "But when are you leaving the school?"

Her voice was watery, like she was fighting tears, and she looked like she was too. "I don't really know." I said, sitting up as well with a sigh. "We have a final prank planned and then we're going to get out. I'm hoping to hold out a little longer."

"What's the prank?" She asked, still not facing me, her voice broke and I realized she was crying. I raised my hand and grasped her arm gently, turning her towards me.

"Hey, " I whispered, brushing the tears off her cheek with my thumb, "don't cry, love. It's only going to be a few weeks. I'll be waiting to meet you at the train station." She gave her head a stiff nod and turned towards me, burying her head in my chest as she cried. I held her tighter, clueless as what to do. I knew why she was crying, which was weird in and of itself, but I didn't know how to make it better. I finally settled for just holding her close and stroking her hair. We sat in that position for a long time, me lying down with her held firmly against my chest. Her tears finally subsided and she just gave a few wet sniffs, holding me just as tightly as I was holding her.

She wiggled around on top of me until she was straddling my waist, I gasped in surprise, lifting my head so I could look her in the eyes. She was blushing fiercely, but her eyes were holding my own.

"Remember our conversation last night?" She asked, her voice quiet. I nodded my head dumbly, feeling lost. "I was thinking, I'm not ready to go all the way quite yet, but I'm ready to get started." Before I could respond she pressed a kiss to my lips and ran her hands up my chest. I was frozen for a moment but I managed to regain my footing and returned the kiss, deepening it as I brought my hands up to her waist.

She unbuttoned my shirt and tugged off my tie. I sat up slightly, still holding her to my chest and shrugged both off, tossing them aside before laying back down with her. She ran her hands across my chest, her hands seeming to be everywhere and igniting a fire at her touch. I returned her touch eagerly, kissing her back feverishly. She moved her hips over me, letting out a gasp at the feel while I moaned. She did it again, tentatively, seeming to try and figure out what it was she was doing exactly. I gripped her in my hands, guiding her into how to do it. The result left us both feeling breathless and hot.

"George!" She gasped out, stopping her hips and falling against me. I held her tightly, stroking her hands and running my hands up and down her back before letting them come to a rest on her lower back, noting her shirt had ridden up and coming partly unbutton so she was pressing some of her soft skin into my chest.

I took in a deep breath through my nose, closing my eyes and focusing on slowing my extremely excited heart down. Hermione was still breathing heavily on top of me, and didn't seem like she was willing to move. I was fine with that, because I didn't want to move any time soon also.

I didn't want to leave now either.

-o-O-o-

We stayed out past late together, but Hermione didn't make any complaints (I wasn't about to) and the next morning was also bright and beautiful. Hermione, Ron and Harry spent the entire morning working on their revisions. They worked with hardly any breaks, so by the time it was dark they had them completely finished.

We went to bed really late, all of us. Fred, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Lee, Harry, and me, because we spent most of what was left of the evening playing games. The others didn't say anything, but I think they were starting to get the idea that Fred and I weren't going to be here much longer. Lee and Hermione kept giving us wistful looks, and Hermione sniffed few times which made Ron and Ginny and Harry edgy.

It was Monday though, and we didn't pull any pranks. I know, we had originally planned on doing one, but we figured it would be more fun to not do anything and just watch Umbridge and Filch squirm all day, especially when we looked at them.

It was evening now, and we had just heard something that would be perfect for our next big prank.

"Hey," I said, whispering the word next to Hermione's ear. She was sitting on the couch with Harry, while Ron was on the floor beside them. They had a pile of career pamphlets, and each looked ready to give up any idea of a career.

She turned her head towards me and gave me a heart stopping smile, pressing a quick kiss to my cheek. I grinned back at her and moved around the sofa, settling next to her and wrapping an arm around her shoulder. I turned towards Harry, stretching my legs out on the table and knocking a few pamphlets on the floor while Fred sat next to me on the sofa's arm.

"Ginny's had a word with us about you," he said, and Hermione snuggled into my arm, fingering through a pamphlet on training security trolls. "She says you need to talk to Sirius."

"What?" she asked sharply, sitting up and glaring at Harry. I gently tugged her back down, giving her a soft smile and brushing her hair back.

"Yeah…" Harry said, paling as he tried to act casual. "Yeah, I thought I'd like-"

"Don't be so ridiculous. With Umbridge groping around the fires and frisking all the owls?" Hermione snapped, frowning and shooting Harry a pointed glare.

"Actually," I said, holding her tighter, "we think we can find a way around that. It's a simple matter of causing a diversion." She froze next to me, realizing what this meant. She turned towards me slowly and looked at me with wide brown eyes. Her hand found it's way around me and she gripped me tightly, almost painfully. "Now you may have noticed that we have been rather quiet on the mayhem front during the Easter holidays?" I continued, rubbing her back in an attempt to calm her, I think her hold was going to leave a bruise on me.

"What was the point, we asked ourselves, of disrupting leisure time?" Fred continued. "No point at all," he went on, "we answered ourselves, and of course, we'd have messed up people's revision, too, which would be the very last thing we'd want to do." Hermione's eyes filled with tears and she pressed her face to my chest, causing Ron to sit up and give us both a suspicious look. I shrugged at him and brought my other arm around her.

"But it's business as usual from tomorrow, and if we're going to be causing a bit of uproar, why not do it so Harry can have his chat with Sirius?"

Hermione pulled back, a triumphant look in her eyes. "Even if you do cause a diversion, which I've no doubt you will, how is Harry supposed to talk to him? All the floo's are being watched." She questioned, looking like she thought she had won.

Harry answered. "Umbridge's office," he said quietly. Hermione turned towards him slowly, her eyes murderous.

"Are-you-insane?" She asked, her voice quivering. I tightened my grip on her and rubbed soothing circles into her back.

"I don't think so," he said quietly, Hermione shook her head in exasperation, she hadn't really been asking if he was barmy.

"And how are you getting there in the first place?" She questioned.

He answered just as quickly, seeming ready for it. "Sirius's knife."

"Ex-excuse me?" She stuttered, frowning. Ron was still staring at us, looking frightened now.

"Christmas before last Sirius gave me a knife that'll open any lock," he explained. "So even if she's bewitched the door so Alahomora won't work, which I bet she has."

"Is there no other way?" Hermione asked, turning back to me.

"'Fraid not," I answered quietly, brushing her hair back.

"Right then," Fred said quickly, "We're thinking of doing it tomorrow, just after lessons because it should cause maximum impact if everybody's in the corridors. Harry, we'll set it off in the east wing somewhere, draw her right away from her own office. I reckon we should be able to guarantee you, what, twenty minutes?" he asked me. I turned towards him, my smile back in place even though it wasn't real.

"Easy." I answered. Ron caught my eyes again, and I noted he was looking horrified as comprehension dawned in his eyes. I think he just put the pieces together.

"What sort of diversion is it?" he asked in a subdued voice.

"You'll see little bro," Fred said, standing up with a smile, I rose with him, noting Hermione was crying softly with a sinking feeling. "At least you will if you trot along to Gregory the Smarmy's corridor round about five o'clock tomorrow." We stepped away and I paused behind the couch again.

"Hermione, mind coming with me?" She nodded her head, climbing off the couch and stepping towards me quickly. I grasped her hand in my own loosely and led her towards the portrait hole where Fred was waiting. He grinned at Hermione and pushed the portrait open, letting us go through first. He followed me out, and we joined Lee, Angelina, and Alicia who were waiting for us outside of the hole.

"Ready" Lee asked as Fred grabbed Angelina's hand. We both nodded our heads, grinning at our best friend.

"Yeah."

"Let's go then."

We set off down the hall as a group, everyone tense for obvious reasons. This was going to be our last night, and we wanted to spend it with our best friends. Everyone knew what was going down, but it was still sad, because that meant they knew it was our last night. Still, I was determined, and Fred was too, to make tonight as much fun as possible. I didn't want anyone to look back at us leaving as a sad affair. I wanted them to remember it as being a blast, a blur of pranks, jokes, love, laughter, and nonstop partying. We were having to fight against Umbridge, but I did not want that to be the only remembered thing about this year.

"Okay, just a heads up," I whispered to Hermione as we slipped into the hogsmeade tunnel. "We're leaving the castle and going to Diagon Alley, we don't plan on being back until late. Is that all right? I can bring you back to the castle at any time." She nodded her head, forcing a smile before looking at me again.

"I'll stay out as long as you want."

We got out of the tunnel and rode the Knight Bus to Diagon Alley. Fred led the way to number 93, positively beaming with pride as he unlocked the door. Boxes were stacked up everywhere, and shelves with nothing on them line the wall. There were strips of wall paper decorating half painted walls, and the floor looked like no one had waxed it since it was built, a broken counter where our cash register was going to be placed stood in the far corner, but I didn't notice any of the problems, I couldn't stop smiling as we stepped in and turned on the lights.

"Welcome to Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes." Fred and I said together, stepping to either side of the door. We bowed down and extended our arms, like we were escorting them into some grand place. They grinned at our antics and stepped into the shop, oohing and ahhing over what they saw.

"This is brilliant!" Lee exclaimed, looking thrilled.

"I know! We wanted you guys to be the first ones to see it." Fred said, stepping next to Angelina again. I reclaimed Hermione's hand as well.

"You all have supported us through the whole thing, so it's only right that you're the ones that help us celebrate it." I explained, leading the group further into a corner of the shop we had spread a blanket out over. We had set up a few snacks, but mostly we had set out a lot of drinks. I'd brought some butterbeer and elf made wine for Hermione since I doubted she'd take the Firewhiskey.

We all sat down in a circle and summoned a few glasses. I poured the firewhiskey into the glasses, making sure to give Hermione the wine, which earned me a grateful smile. I sat back down and raised my glass.

"I'd like to make a few toast, if you would indulge me." I said grinning, they nodded their heads, grinning back at me. I grasper Hermione's hand loosely in my own and turned towards the first person I needed to thank.

"To Lee, my second best mate and the best looking twin." He laughed at the old joke, his face splitting in a grin that always looked too big for it, like it honestly couldn't contain his happiness. "You've been with us since the beginning, causing mayhem and helping us to realize our crazy dream."

"All I can say is, it was a good day when you slipped into our compartment trying to avoid Charlie." Fred cut in, "Our mischief wouldn't have been nearly as wild or fun without you."

"To our troublesome trio." I finished, raising my glass to him. He smiled gratefully, and raised his own glass.

"To Alicia," Fred continued, turning towards Lee's girl with a grin. "For _finally_ saying yes to Lee's advances and turning out to be a pretty cool bird."

"And for always being willing to answer any random Arithmacy questions we had without asking any questions." I said with a wink, raising my glass to her.

"To Angelina, my love," Fred continued, turning in his seat with an affectionate smile, "For helping to keep me from going barmy, for keeping me from getting us in trouble we couldn't get out of, and for always being there." He finished, his eyes slightly misty. Tears were running down hers and she didn't try to mask them as she pressed a kiss to his eager lips. I grinned at them and turned towards Hermione, my smile growing more tender as I looked at her beautiful dark eyes.

I raised my glass again and pointed it at her. "To Hermione, my Semper et in aeternum (forever and always encase you've forgotten, I'm just thoughtful like that.) For always having a smile for me, for always telling me why that won't work, for helping to keep me steady, for showing me that books can answer almost any problem, for letting me see the library isn't a place to be feared, and for saying yes to me when I asked you to the Yule ball. It's been a crazy ride, and one I wouldn't trade a minute of."

"To love, laughter, friendship, and dreams In short." Fred picked up, smiling happily as he looked around.

"And the fact that they couldn't stop any of it no matter what they threw at us." I finished. They all raised their glasses and flashed a smile.

"We solemnly swear we will never be up to any good." Lee said, and then we all downed the drinks, shaking it off and then going for another.

Love, laughter, friendship and dreams, did you need anything else?

* * *

><p><em>AN: Okay folks, there are only two more chapters of this crazy tale left, so, if you haven't reviewed yet, now is the time to do it! Go on, it doesn't hurt or cost anything, so why not take advantage of it :D._

_Thanks!_


	45. Chapter 45

_Okay, because I love quptes (encase you didn't notice from the hundreds I have on my profile, and because I swear this song was written for these two) _

_Didn't make sense not to live for fun. Your brain gets smart but your head gets dumb  
>So much to do so much to see- So what's wrong with taking the back streets?<br>You'll never know if you don't go- You'll never shine if you don't glow!- All star_

-o-O-o-

I was good to my promise, it was past late before we got back to Hogwarts. It was actually morning, but hey, who was keeping track? We drank, played games, ran around yelling, danced, and made general mischief. It was probably the most fun I'd ever had and I was really glad that it was the memory of my last night at Hogwarts. Hermione was barely able to walk as we headed back to Hogwarts, so I picked her up in the tunnel and carried her. She tried to stop me at first, but eventually just snuggled into my arms and smiled.

"Night guys." I called to Fred, Lee, Angelina, and Alicia as they headed up to the dormitories. I stayed downstairs, still holding Hermione. They nodded and waved before heading towards the stairs. I placed Hermione on the couch. She was fast asleep, and it made me smile to look at her. She had a soft smile on her face, and a look of utter peace and happiness. I sat beside her, pulling her so that she was on my lap. She snuggled into my side a little more and let out a satisfied sigh.

The only sound in the silent night was that of her gentle breathing, and it gave my heart a little tug. She smiled even wider and mumbled something, obviously enjoying her dream quite a bit. I leaned back into my seat and brushed her hair back, wondering what she was dreaming of, could it be us? Most of my dreams were about that.

I brushed my hand down her arm lightly, my hand encircling her wrist loosely and feeling her soft pulse. It was extremely late, and I needed to go to sleep, but I didn't want to. This was my last night with Hermione, and I didn't want to miss any of it. I just wanted to sit here holding her and watching her.

I sat there for a long, long time, just holding her close and studying her sleeping form. Finally though I felt sleep begin to over take me. I bent down and brushed a kiss to her closed eyes before leaning back against the couch again and closing my own eyes.

My dreams, as usual, were filled with visions of Hermione. I woke up to her still fast asleep in my arms, she smiled when I woke her and pressing a kiss to my lips. she went upstairs to change and that left me alone in the common room.

"You stay down here all night?" I started at the voice and turned to see who it was. Ron had come down at some point and was looking at me with a worried air.

"Yeah, I didn't want to leave." I said simply. He nodded his head, looking up at where Hermione was disappearing around the corner of the stairs.

"I see why." He said, sitting next to me. I smiled softly before looking at the fireplace with a mournful air.

"You're really leaving, aren't you?" He asked after a moment.

"Yeah, we are."

"I can't blame you, hell, I'd leave with you if I could." I nodded my head at that, looking at him with new eyes.

"Would you do me a favor then?"

"Sure," he said eagerly, looking excited.

"Continue making mischief, and watch out for the others. You know, Ginny, Hermione, and Harry. Merlin knows that git can't stay out of trouble." He nodded his head fondly, glancing at the stairs again.

I stared at him for a moment and then laid a hand on his shoulder. "Why don't you also ask Luna out for a date, she'll say yes."

"Wh-what?" he spluttered, blushing, his ears turning a bright red. I grinned even more and patted his back before standing and stretching.

"Ask Luna out, she'll say yes, and then you both won't have to skirt around each other." I gave him a wink and then ran up stairs, getting dressed.

-o-O-o-

Today was all about Hermione, until four forty five I was going to spend every second with her. With the aid of a disillusionment charm I sat next to her through her first two classes without any incident, she shivered any time I touched her and she giggled when I pressed kisses to her. She tried to suppress them but I brought them out each time, grinning triumphantly as I nuzzled her neck. I didn't want her sad today, I couldn't do anything once I left, but until then she would smile and be happy.

She had one more class until the fate full hour, and I wanted her to skip it more than anything.

"Sure you don't want to skive, love?" I questioned with a grin. I know she wouldn't do it, but I couldn't help but hope.

"I was planning on it." She said quietly, turning towards me and pushing me backwards, throwing my completely off guard. She pushed me against the wall and pressed a heated kiss to my lip before pushing the secret passage way open. I watched her run into it with an open mouth, completely thrown off guard. I stood still for a moment and then I ran after her, unable to hide the grin that lifted my lips.

**Okay, some advanced, mature (mostly clothed aka they are not going all the way, since half this party is underaged,) T coming up, if you don't want to read that, skip to the stars to read the rest of the chapter :D**

She was sitting on one of the bean bags waiting for me, her robe thrown off, along with her shoes and tie. Her shirt was untucked and she was looking at me expectantly. My eyes darkened at the sight of her and I was across the room in only two steps. I lowered myself beside her and pressed a heated kiss to her lips, my hands finding their way to her waist and tugging her closer to me. She slid off the bean bag and onto the floor, which made it easy for me to run my hands along her body. She gasped and moaned, arching into me at my touch, causing me to become excited and eager. My shirt came off quickly, I don't know how, and I was pressing my bare chest against her, moaning as she ran her hands along me. Her shirt had come unbuttoned during our exuberant snogging, and I took full advantage of the simple fact.

I moved against her, moaning into her mouth as she mewed and arched her back. Her hands gripped my shoulders tightly as she lifted her hips, pushing against me almost urgently. I held her closer and rolled over so that I was on my back and she was on top of me. She gasped at the change and then a look of utter determination took over her face as she ran her hands across my shirtless chest. I knew I needed to stop us before we got anymore carried away, but my body was out racing my mind, yearning to ravish the beautiful witch I was in love with in my arms.

It took all of my strength to stop, and it showed in how tense my voice was. "Hermione, love, we should stop. I don't want to do something you'll regret."

"No, George." She said, her voice equally as strained.

"Love, I won't be able to stop soon." I said, my hands traveling back up her beautiful body.

"I want to go further, again." She whispered, looking momentarily nervous. I nodded my head, bringing my hands lower down her waist.

"Alright, stop if you get uncomfortable." I managed, breathing heavily. She ground her hips against me and I cried out at the feel, clinching my eyes and opening them again, unable to believe she was really doing this, we were really doing this.

She moved above me like waves crashing against the shore, keeping a rhythm that was unbelievable beautiful, unbelievable perfect. I held her tightly, grasping her body in my hands as I let the sensations wash over me. Her entire body was flushed as she moved over me, stealing my breath at her beauty. Her head was thrown back and she had her eyes tightly clenched as she swallowed great lung full's of air. I wanted to follow her example and close my eyes at the emotions and ecstasy flowing through me, but I couldn't take my eyes off of her. She'd only done this once before, and I had been guiding her then, it just went to show how quick a learner she was.

My own body glided with hers, causing her to moan and writhe against me as she pressed harder. She let out a quiet cry and leaned down, pressing her chest to mine and causing me to moan at the contact. It was unbelievable, the feeling of her, better than anything I could ever imagine. I had never felt this way before, and I never wanted to feel this way with anyone else.

"Oh George, _George_," she whispered against my ear, the word pleading and gentle and breathier than I ever heard before. It undid me and I pulled her closer to me, running my hands up her perfect body as I let myself come even more undone. No amount of pranks, of money, of magic, of anything could compare to the way that felt, hearing her lose control for me. Knowing she'd only ever lost it for me-would only ever lose it for me if I could help it. Her hair fell around my face, surrounding me in her bushy curls and the smell of her sweet shampoo, closing us off from the world, leaving just the two of us in this magical moment.

I tilted my head slightly so I was brushing my nose against her cheek and whispered three little words that I'd never felt more strongly. "I_ love _you." She froze against me as my hand roamed up her and she let out a loud cry, she clutched me to her and buried her face in my neck before throwing her head back and calling out my name. The feeling of her writhing against me and the sight of her and the feel of her against me caused me to come undone. I called her name out and pulled her close to my body. She pulled my face to hers, pressing a kiss to my lips and then laying her head against my chest. She let out a breathless laugh, and I held her even tighter.

***** Safe to read without advanced T*****

I looked at her with heavy lidded eyes, my breath slowly evening out and a warmth and wonderfully, almost painful, surge of love filling me up. It really was almost painful how much I loved her. It made my entire chest tight and my breathing aching at times. It was like my body simply couldn't hold it in, as weird as that is.

I really wasn't sure how I was going to make it through the next two years without her. Maybe I could sign on as help somehow, maybe a position would open for me. I only knew that I would be sneaking back in at each and every chance I got. I wouldn't give her a chance to think or look at another guy.

"I love you, George." She breathed into my chest, nuzzling her cheek against me. I smiled and nodded my head.

"I love you too, Hermione."

-o-O-o-

It's five and we kept our promise to let all hell loose. This truly was our most brilliant prank to date. Who else has the brilliance or gall to change an entire school corridor into a swamp?

That's the reason we have a decree against us.

We set the swamp off, and then ran back down the corridor, cackling like mad when we heard Filch screaming from the end of the hall. We ran through the corridors we knew so well, but we were caught before we could escape. The entire Inquisitorial squad had been sent after us, (which was pretty much all of Slytherin's house.) They pushed us back into the corridor, in the middle of the swamp we had just created. They surrounded us, cutting off our exits and successfully (or, at least that's what they thought) cutting off any possible mean we may have had for escape.

I glanced at Fred by my side and he smile back at me, a thrilled, energized smile that left me feeling the same way. This was the way we were meant to go out, in a bang of detention and mayhem.

Umbridge climbed down the steps that led to her office and decorated the far end of the room. Students had already flooded the surrounding area and were all watching us with clear worry. Every other house but Slytherin was here, and it was clear they were on our side. It was cool, everyone looked like they were backing us.

I let my eyes scan the crowd, looking for my friends and family, wanting to see them before we left the last time. I found Lee at the edge of the steps, beaming at us as he splashed in the swamp. We shot him a grin and a wink, hardly noticing that Umbridge was speaking. "Good job," she said, speaking to the Inquisitorial Squad. I just smiled at them, not caring the least bit that we were surrounded.

"Filch, go to my office, there's a paper there I want you to bring. The permission form arrived today." He got an evil grin on his face and ran for her office. I glanced at Fred with a frown, I didn't like the sound of that. I didn't care about what he might do to us, we weren't going to be here long enough for them to be able to do anything to us, it was everyone we were leaving behind that I was worried about.

"So!" Umbridge said with a triumphant air. She was still standing on the stairs, too scared to come down to the floor and actually face us. That small, simple ,and undeniable fact thrilled me more than the fact that we had actually pulled off this prank. "So - you think it amusing to turn a school corridor into a swamp, do you?"

My eyes scanned the crowd again, searching for my family and Hermione, and I finally found them, hidden behind the squad, trying to peer around them to see us more clearly. My eyes locked with Hermione first, and I sent her my special smile, which she returned with her own. I moved to Ron and Ginny next, mentally wishing them the best and hoping they would be alright. They looked back at me with proud smiles, though they were slightly worried.

"Pretty amusing, yeah," Fred answered, a slight grin lifting his lips as he looked at her without any fear. It seemed to unnerve her. She had no idea what we were planning, but the fact that we weren't even blinking at the squad surrounding us seemed to worry her. Filch had returned by now, and he elbowed his way between the students to Umbridge, his eyes wide with happiness. He was clutching a piece of parchment to his chest and sounded near tears. It couldn't be good.

"I've got the form, Headmistress, and I've got the whips waiting…oh let me do it now," he said, his voice hoarse as he stood in front of her.

Whips? Someone in the ministry had actually authorized the use of whips? Surely the parents couldn't have known about this, they couldn't be aware. There was no way they would have allowed it. That would be the first thing on my list to do. We could not let this go un told. We were going to spread the word about everything as soon as we got out. We even had the scars on the back of our hand to prove all the craziness-all four of them.

"Very good, Argus," Umbridge said wickedly. "You two," she said, turning her gaze to us again, "are about to learn what happens to wrongdoers in my school."

Fred smiled, a real full smile that I hadn't seen in a long time, and shook his head. "You know what? I don't think we are." He turned to me still grinning and made me smile even wider. "George," he continued, "I think we've outgrown full-time education."

I smiled, feeling excited and anxious for what we were about to do, I couldn't wait. "Yeah, I've been feeling that way myself," I said lightly.

"Time to test our talents in the real world, d'you reckon?" Fred asked, his huge grin betraying his excitement.

I grinned even wider, and nodded my head. "Definitely," I said, and before Umbridge, or anyone else could say anything, we turned together and raised our wands in the air, finally reclaiming what was rightfully ours.

"Accio Brooms!" We shouted. A loud crash sounded from somewhere up the stairs, followed by a yell and then I could see two broomsticks, one still trailing a heavy chain and iron peg, hurtling towards us. They stopped right in front of us, waiting, and almost seeming to be begging to be grabbed. We stepped forward together, grabbing the broomsticks with ease.

"We won't be seeing you," Fred said to Umbridge as he mounted his broom. I climbed onto my own, noting everyone was watching us with disbelief.

"Yeah, don't bother to keep in touch," I found Hermione's eyes again and smiled, hardly able to believe I was seconds from escaping.

"If anyone fancies buying a portable swamp, as demonstrated here, come to number ninety-three Diagon Alley-Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes!" Fred bellowed, a huge grin erupting across his face. "Our new premises!"

"Special discounts to Hogwarts students who swear they're going to use our products to get rid of this old bat," I added, pointed at Umbridge.

"STOP THEM!" Umbridge shrieked, but it was too late, we were lifting off. I had the broom with the peg, and it swung below me dangerously, dissuading anyone from coming near either Fred or me. We flew towards the entrance, but Fred stopped at the last minute and gave me a mischievous wink. He turned around on his broom and looked at Peeves, who was bobbing about the crowd.

"Give her hell from us, Peeves!" he shouted. Peeves swept his hat from his head, and bowed, saluting us with a smile more mischievous than any I had ever seen. We wheeled about with one last smile and flew out the open windows, letting out a loud whoop as we felt the fresh air. I reached into my pocket and grabbed out our last firework. I tossed it to Fred and he caught it, igniting it with a wicked grin before tossing it behind us. A huge WWW filled the sky, flashing in rainbow colors, marking the spot where we had flown out. We paused, looking at the crowd that had gathered. Lee, Ron, Ginny, Hermione, Harry, Angelina, and Alicia had all gathered together, and I let my eyes stay on them for a long moment, memorizing every detail I could before Fred and I both turned around and flew away, leaving Hogwarts for the last time as students.

Fred and I sped through the air together, occasionally letting out a whoop or doing a loop-de-loop. I hadn't been able to fly in so long that I had forgotten how much I loved it. The trip passed by indecently fast, and before I was quite ready, we were there.

We landed on the steps of our new shop with huge grins, hardly daring to believe it had really worked.  
>"Together?" Fred questioned, looking at the door with a slight bit of disbelief. I nodded my head, and together, we entered the store. This was our dream, we had actually done it, we had made it, we had beaten all the odds.<p>

Everything was already stocked, and ready for our grand opening next week, all we had to do was put the items on the shelves and we'd be ready. We raced each other upstairs to check out our new flat, and discovered it was already stocked as well. I went to my bedroom and looked around, a smile lifting my lips as I realized I had my own room for the first time in my entire life.

My eyes fell on the bed and I noticed a small package lying atop it. I recognized Hermione's penmanship, so I tore it open.

_Dear George,  
>Good luck with the shop, I wish I could be there for the opening. Stay safe and have fun! I'll see you soon.<br>Enjoy the presents, maybe we can try the one out over the summer…  
>With all my love,<br>Hermione_

I opened the package up and felt my jaw drop open in shock. Inside were two objects. One was the decree that had Umbridge had made against us, which made me smile, but the other was the really impressive one. It was an object I had last seen at zonko's over a year and a half ago, the object Hermione had been staring at on aisle 13 when I'd happened upon her.

I plopped down on my bed and smiled, a stress free grin, and let out a loud, booming laugh. For the first time in a long, long time, I was completely happy. I was free, utterly free. A war was looming in the distance, the lines all ready were drawn, and we were all gearing up for the fight, but I felt Free.

I didn't know what our future would bring, but I knew that we'd make it through-each of us. Me, Fred, Hermione, Harry, Ron, Ginny, Lee, all of us. We'd pull through because we had each other, and that's what made us different from the other side of this war.

In the end, it'd be like that muggle song Hermione always was singing. 'All you need is love.' She'd proven it to me over the year, nothing was as powerful as love. Because of it, we'd win this fight because we wouldn't stop fighting. We'd win this war because we had a reason to fight. Because we loved each other enough to keep going even when it really was just hopeless.

Besides, with Fred, Lee, and my brilliance, Ron's undying loyalty, Ginny's bat bogey hex, Hermione's brains, and Harry's ridiculously good luck, what chance did old Moldywart really stand?

Pretty heavy thoughts for a simple prankster, huh? As I said way back when, I'm full of surprises.

* * *

><p><em>AN; AHH! There is only one chapter left, I'm feeling so sad… I don't want this story to end! (*Sobs*) Quick, better leave a review to help cheer me up ;D_

_Thanks!_


	46. Epilogue

_"You know you're in love when you can't fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams"- Dr. Seuss._

_And,_

_"You can only be young once. But you can always be immature."-David Barry (Another motto for Forge and Gred.)_

_-o-O-o-_

Okay, I could tell you a detailed account of the years that have passed since that night, but honestly, as exciting and thrilling as my life is, it would be pretty boring. Things went pretty normally for another year-I signed on as an Order guard so I got to see Hermione every weekend, and then life went completely out of whack with the war. Harry drug Hermione and Ron off on a mission that Dumbledore had given him, and Fred, Lee, and I started a radio show to help them.

Good times, good times. Still, May 3 was a very happy day. We buried Voldemort with a distinct feeling of satisfaction, all of us safe and free for the first time in a very long time. Hermione and I had a happy reunion, that lasted long into the night (*wink*) and we tied the knot two years later after she had completed her education. We had beautiful twins three years after that, and she is currently pregnant with our third child.

Fred married Angelina the day after us, and Lee followed suit and married Alicia a year later. We all three live above Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes, Fred has the top flat, I have the middle, and Lee has the bottom. The store is still running strong and we still love inventing for it. Hermione works for the Ministry of Magic, and has managed to gain some ground for S.P.E.W. vastly improving the welfare of elves and magical creatures everywhere. Fred and Angelina have two children, Angela, a red headed girl, and Greg, a black haired boy who loves mischief as much as us. Lee has one kid, a girl, Leesha who is also mischievous.

Ron finally followed my brilliant advice and asked Luna out on a date, and the two have been together ever since. They have two children, one a blonde girl with a dreamy smile, and the other a red headed boy with a taste for chocolate frogs. Ginny married Harry after waiting around for him to pop the question for three years she finally asked him in frustration. He said yes and he gave her the ring he'd been carrying around waiting for the right time to ask her. They have two children, James Sirius Potter (a brilliant trouble maker like his namesakes), and, (poor little guy) Albus Severus Potter. ( I mean really, could you find a worse name?)

Katie surprised us all by marrying Oliver Wood a year after the war, having turned her full obsessive powers towards him and finally winning him over.

Now, instead of giving you any more boring or random information, I'm just going to give you a snap shot of what my life is like ten years later.

Hold onto your wands folks, we're bringing this intriguing tale in for a landing.

"Daddy!" Someone bounced onto my chest and woke me up with a yelp. Hermione let out a tired moan by my side as I pried my eyes open, looking to see who had decided to make my chest a landing pad.

"Gideon?" I asked, seeing a mess of short, red, bushy curls in front of my face. The mess of crazy curls nodded, and a hand appeared, pushing the curls out of my sons face. "What are you doing up?" I asked, knowing the answer but deciding to try and stall for a few more minutes. It was only seven, I wanted to sleep in today.

"It's morning, da." Gideon replied, smiling at me and showing off his missing tooth with his big grin. I couldn't help but smile back at him.

"Can't argue with that, can I?" I asked, sitting up and moving him so he was sitting on my lap instead of my chest.

After four years of being woken up that way, you think I'd be used to it. I'd been waking up next to Hermione for eight years though, and it still always took me by surprise. I set Gideon on the floor and patted his curls before nudging him gently in the back.

"Go find your sister and make sure she's up as well. Mum and I'll be out in a minute." Gideon nodded his head and then raced out of the room, giggling like mad. I arched an eyebrow, grinning after a moment. Merlin only knew what that little bludger was up to. Only thing you could be sure of was that it was going to be trouble.

I turned around in my seat and laid my hand on Hermione's bare arm, smiling softly when she sighed, snuggling into her blankets even more.

"Come on love, you've got to wake up." I whispered, bringing my head down next to her ear so that my breath washed across her face. She shivered and rolled over, draping an arm across my waist and pressing her rounded stomach into me slightly before letting out a happy, satisfied sigh. I laid my hand on her stomach, feeling the skin there gently. I didn't feel anything but I couldn't help smiling anyway. I brushed her hair out of her eyes and spoke again.

"Come on, Hermione, or I'm sending Gideon and Fabrina after you." She pried a sleepy eye open and looked at me with her dark brown eyes, probably trying to gage the sincerity of that threat. I smiled mischievously at her, wiggling my eyebrows. She grinned and reached her arms out to me to help pull her up. I did so, bringing my hand back down to her stomach again.

"You feel him moving?" She asked quietly, smiling as she brushed her fingers against the back of my hand. I shook my head, grinning anyway.

"Nah, he's only showing off for his mum." She grabbed me in a loose hug and I ran my hands up her back slowly, grinning against her when I felt her tremble in my hold. I knew just were to touch her, just how to make her respond. We'd been together for twelve years though, I should know by now.

"Do we have to get up? I'm sure I could give you a few reasons to stay in bed." She purred, running her hands up my back and dragging her nails lightly. It was my turn to moan now. I pulled back from where I'd had my head resting against her neck and grinned at her, my hands coming around her waist.

"Well, I'm sure we have a few minutes." I said huskily, laying her down gently. She grinned back at me seductively, making my whole body warm up. I pressed a kiss to her lips, deepening it when I felt her wrap her legs around my waist.

"Daddy!" Gideon squealed from the door. I groaned and buried my head in Hermione's neck.

"Don't say anything, maybe they'll go bug Fred if we're quiet." Hermione nodded her head, fighting a giggle.

"Mum?" Came Fabrina's soft voice. The door was pushed open and her head appeared around the door frame, her long, bushy, red curls bouncing slightly.

"Yes, honey?" Hermione asked, nudging me until I sat up, pulling her with me.

"Will you fix me breakfast? I don't want burnt toast again."

"Oi!" I said, straightening up indignantly. "I did not burn the toast, I wanted it that shade."

"You did burn the toast, love." Hermione said soothingly, patting my arm with a grin. "Of course I'll make you breakfast." She finished climbing off the bed. She pulled her house robe off the bed and I watched her move with a sigh. Looks like we no longer had a reason to stay in bed.

Bummer.

-o-O-o-

So, after a quick, non burned breakfast, I headed downstairs to the shop.

"You do realize you're late, don't you?" Fred and Lee called from the counter. I grinned and made my way over to them.

"Yes, we had a minor calamity at breakfast. Fabrina spilt her juice on Gideon who retaliated by tossing his jam on her. It took Hermione ten minutes to calm her down."

"Sure." Lee said grinning mischievously.

"Yeah, we both know what really took you so long." Fred added, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively. I laughed and gave him a light shove.

"Nah, the twins saw to it that that didn't happen." I said, clearing off the cash register and getting it ready for a new day.

"Sorry, mate." Lee said consolingly, patting my back with an exaggerated mournful expression.

"Yeah, I had the same problem with Angela." Fred said, shaking his head.

"I almost sent them over to you." I confided, laughing at the surprised look on his face.

"Now that is a right clever idea, I should try that next time. Send them upstairs to you, George." Lee stated, his eyes lighting up with glee.

"I'll just send them up to Fred." I declared.

"Send who up to Fred?" Angelina and Alicia asked, descending the steps that led to our three flats together.

"The kids, so we can get busy." Lee said, wiggling his eyebrows as he wrapped his arm around his wife. She shook her head before giving him a quick peck on the cheek.

"I don't have time to get onto you right now, I'm already late for work."

"Same here, love." Angelina said, stepping over to Fred and pressing a kiss to his lips. They made their way out of the shop and we finished preparing for opening.

-o-O-o-

"I'm going to head on up." I called into the back room, locking the cash register up for the night. I didn't hear anything at first so I stepped towards the door.

"Alright!" Fred called, his voice oddly distant. "We're going to finish this up and then we'll head up as well."

"See you tomorrow, mate!" Lee yelled. I returned the sentiment and picked up the self inking quill I had set aside earlier. It had been a long, busy day and I was bushed. It was nearing the end of the semester so everyone seemed to be trying to pull some last big prank at Hogwarts.

I stepped towards the steps and paused after a door rattling explosion went off in the back room. I spun around on my heel, my wand already raised.

"I said to add the horn slowly!" Fred yelled. I laughed and shook my head before continuing upstairs. I put a fire proof charm on the door and locked it behind me, grinning like a nutter by the time I got to our flat. I couldn't even count the number of years the three of us had been inventing together, and they still managed to blow stuff up when I wasn't around.

"George, just drop the owl posts and the quill on the counter and then come to the living room!" Hermione called out the minute I stepped into the room. I did as she asked, noting it was unnaturally quiet.

The lights had been turned off, and the room was lit by candles instead. Hermione was sitting on the couch with the table in front of her covered in my favorite dishes. She had a new dress on, one that clung to her top curves before flowing over her stomach and legs in soft pleats. Her voluminous hair had been left down, and she was wearing makeup. There were no children to be seen anywhere, and while that worried me, it also thrilled me.

"Hermione?" I questioned, stepping up next to her and lowering myself on the couch beside her. She smiled at me and wrapped her arms around me in a loose hug. "Where did all the little beasties go?"

She laughed at the name and shook her head. "I sent them to Alicia. Do you know what day it is?"

"No." I said, tensing as I realized I really didn't know. It wasn't our anniversary or anything, was it? No, we still had a few months before that. What was it then?

"Today is the tenth anniversary of the day you flew out of Hogwarts." She said quietly, brushing her hand against my cheek. My eyes widened and I did the mental math. She was right.

Godric, I'm getting old.

"Happy anniversary love," she whispered, pressing a kiss to my lips. I grinned against her and pulled her flush to my chest. She giggled and broke the kiss, pushing me away gently.

"Not yet, you have to eat before desert." I grinned and wiggled my eyebrows.

"Sure we can't skip?"

"No, I worked all day." I nodded my head and turned towards the feast she'd prepared. It was excellent, but the after dinner entertainment was far, far more fun.

I ran my hand up her now very bare arm absently mindedly, running my other hand over the hand she had resting on my equally bare stomach, playing with the rings that she wore. She had three, her wedding band, her engagement ring, and her promise ring. She refused to take any of them off, which was pretty cool honestly.

I leaned my head back against the pillow and looked over at her, gently brushing a lock of hair from her contentedly sleeping face. She leaned into the touch, tightening her grip on me momentarily before relaxing again. I still loved to watch her sleep, and it still made me wonder what she dreamed about.

"You." She whispered quietly, opening her eyes. I blinked in confusion before I realized I'd just said the last bit out loud.

"Sorry, love, didn't meant to wake you." I murmured, letting my hand come to a rest on her cheek. She grinned against my hand and pressed her face against it.

"Don't be, I'm sorry I fell asleep."

"Don't be, love. I never mind watching you sleep."

"Aww, but I can think of much better reasons to stay up." She whispered next to my ear before she rolled over so that she was on top of me. She leaned down and pressed a kiss to my lips as I brought my hands to her waist and we started the nights entertainment up again.

Yep, it's a crazy life, full of love, laughter, friendship, dreams come true, and explosions. Lots and lots of explosions… What more could you really want though?

Well, this is George Fabian Weasley, and I am officially signing off. Remember, cause as much trouble as possible, because life is boring without at least a little mayhem.

That's my motto anyway, and it's done me pretty well.

* * *

><p><em>AN: Really don't know what to say here, except that I'm really going to miss this story. It worked its way into my heart and has become my hands down most favorite story I've written. It really freed me up from my usual thing too. I did it entirely in male perspective, and I did it in the twins perspective. I've always had trouble writing them, I feel like I can never quite capture them. I mean, they're my favorite characters, and really near to my heart, but I always really struggle with them._

_I originally wrote this story as a filler until I could come up with a longer story plot. You know, just a little something to keep me entertained for a while. I asked myself, hey, what if George had asked Hermione to the ball? I only thought it would be a few chapters, no more than ten, but it took on a life of its own, and like the twin it was written about, refused to follow my orders. So, over 130,000 words later, I'm putting the pen, err, keys down, on this story and finally declaring it finished. I've had a blast, and I can't wait to delve back into this twins head. I've had several request for a few more one shots, and I just might do a few, which I'd post at the end of this story._

_You all have made this a blast as well. I've loved reading your reviews, and I can't tell you how much they make me smile, laugh, blush, and just overall grin like a complete nutter at times. I know it can be inconvenient to tell me your thoughts and leave a review, but I really have enjoyed reading them. I hope you all keep on reading, cause I'll keep on writing._

_So, since this has turned from an authors note into another novel in and of itself, I'm signing off. Until next time, have fun, live, laugh, love, and pull a prank or two-it's what Gred and Forge would do!_

_Mischief Managed (for now!)_

_-Wizards Pupil_


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